The Lock Grid Tool

The Lock Grid Tool in Crossword Wrangler is used to lock the crossword grid layout, preventing any further modifications to the grid structure. This ensures that the arrangement of cells and lights remains fixed while you continue to work on other aspects of the crossword puzzle.

Because Crossword Wrangler dynamically and implicitly updates the configuration of a grid’s lights, and maintains a correspondence between lights and clues, accidentally modifying the grid layout can lead to unintended changes in existing clues.

When layout changes force a change in light and clue numbering, Crossword Wrangler will attempt to modify existing clues in place to maintain consistency. However, some layout changes that lead to one or more lights being deleted may be unavoidable. In the event that a light whose clue already has content is deleted, Crossword Wrangler will notify you, and the clue will be moved to the first “Additional Clues” clue list in the side bar, so that information is not lost. Clues in additional clue lists may be dragged and dropped onto empty clue definitions to manually migrate them.

However, if you want to prevent such accidental modifications to the grid layout, you can use the Lock Grid Tool to lock the grid in place.

Using the Lock Grid Tool

1. In the tool strip, select the Lock Grid Tool icon:

2. Once selected, the grid layout will be locked, and any attempts to modify the grid structure will be prevented until the grid is unlocked. All layout tools will be show as disabled while the grid is locked:

Restrictions

• While the grid is locked, you cannot add, remove, or resize lights.
• The lock only affects the grid layout; you can still edit the contents of individual cells and manage clues.