Black Ink 2.4.2: Inline Clue Images

Black Ink 2.4.2 is now available on the Black Ink site and has been submitted for review on the Mac App Store.

This update addresses a loss of functionality in version 2.4.1 which caused inline images in clues to no longer be rendered correctly. These types of clues are not common, and currently are only supported by Black Ink for New York Times puzzles, but when they do come along it’s important to handle them well!

While fixing this, I took the opportunity to dramatically improve the handling of such clues. While they worked in release os of Black Ink earlier than 2.4.1, they appeared a bit clunky, and sometimes with nonsensical text alongside them. Now, for example, a New York Times clue from January 26 of this year looks like this in the clue list:

and like this in the selected clue marquee at the top of the window:

These subtle but important improvements are the kind of things that make Black Ink the most beautiful (if I dare say so) crossword solving environment on Earth!

Here’s a complete list of changes for this release:

Improved layout of puzzle clue at top of window

Restored and improved handling of inline images in puzzle clues

Alt text on inline clue images are now conveyed to accessibility and tooltip text

Fixed a bug that caused the “Congratulations” panel to appear twice if auto-check is enabled

Fixed a bug that caused new puzzles opened without a save file to prompt for saving upon solving

Clues with images are now handled more correctly in printouts