Skyscraper Solver


Skyscraper puzzles are an uncommon type of Latin square logic puzzle. I’m currently coding a Python program that will solve them, particularly ones of a large size, and with minimal usage of guessing techniques.

So far, I’ve built a (hopefully) bug free solver. However, I’ve gotten stuck on coding the website UI, so it will be put on hold until I get more acquainted with WordPress. However, you can download the .txt file down below.

When you are ready to use the solver, change the file extension to .py and open the file with python. First you will be asked for the grid size. Up to size 9 is supported for now. Then you will be asked to input the border clues. Start in the top left corner and go clockwise, with empty clues as zeros. Lastly, enter any given hints. They are entered as three digit numbers, with the first digit being the row, the second digit being the column, and the third digit being the clue. Then you’re all done, and the solver can work its magic!

For example, here is a size 7 puzzle.

The border should be entered as 0012420030310000245220442300.

The clues should be entered as 254, 451, 544, and 732.

With my hardware, the solver is finished in about .065 seconds.

Hopefully, you can now see why I need a real UI.