Help

Everything you need to prepare your locks and use them in class. If you can't find what you're looking for, write to us.

• Getting started
• Lock kinds
• Sharing and QR codes
• Printing
• Your library
• Accessibility
• Frequently asked questions
• Contact

Getting started

Creating a lock takes a couple of minutes, and you don't need to sign up.

1. Create. Open the lock editor, pick a kind and type the answer that opens the lock. If you like, also add:
   • a clue: the text or coded message your students have to solve;
   • up to four alternative answers that are also accepted;
   • up to five hints, shown one at a time when someone asks for them;
   • a success message, shown only when the answer is right;
   • a continue link, for example to a form or to the next lock;
   • teacher notes, which only appear on your solution sheet.
2. Test. Solve your lock exactly as your students will see it. The test runs in your browser, so nothing needs to be published.
3. Publish. When it's ready, publish it to get its link and QR code. Below we explain what is stored.
4. Print. Prepare the student sheets, and the solution sheet for you.

When you save, the lock goes into your library, where you can edit, duplicate or print it whenever you like.

Lock kinds

Each kind of lock is played in its own way, and some come in several presets so you can start faster:

• KeypadA code typed on a keypad: digits, letters, hexadecimal or symbols.Presets: Number keypad, Letter keypad, Hex keypad, and Symbol keypad
• Rotary dialA safe's combination dial, turned right and left to a sequence of numbers.Presets: Safe dial
• Text answerA word or phrase typed on the keyboard, in an answer box or on a computer's login screen.Presets: Answer word and Computer login
• DirectionalA sequence of arrows: up, down, left and right, or all eight compass directions.Presets: Arrows and Compass
• ColoursA sequence of colours, picked from swatches that show their names.Presets: Colour sequence
• Wheels and leversA padlock or cryptex whose wheels turn to digits or letters, or a row of levers set up or down.Presets: Combination padlock, Word padlock, Cryptex, and Lever switches
• Map coordinatesA place on the map: its latitude and longitude, typed in decimal degrees or in degrees, minutes and seconds.Presets: Map coordinates
• PatternA phone unlock pattern: join the points of a grid in the right order.Presets: Unlock pattern and Large pattern
• Mobile phoneA word typed on an old mobile phone's keys, pressing each key until its letter shows.Presets: Old mobile phone
• MusicA melody played on the keys of a piano, with or without its black keys.Presets: Melody

More kinds are on the way: a phone unlock pattern, a melody on a piano, an old mobile phone keypad and map coordinates.

How answers are compared

Escapify forgives small typing slips, so nobody fails over an accent. By default it:

• ignores capital letters and accents;
• treats the eñe as a letter of its own in locks that use the Spanish alphabet, so “año” and “ano” are different answers;
• ignores spaces and punctuation, such as ¿ ? ¡ ! or commas;
• does count symbols: +, =, € or an emoji must match.

In text locks you can switch off each of these rules. Each lock's alphabet (Spanish, with eñe, or English) is chosen in the editor; by default it follows the language you use Escapify in.

Sharing and QR codes

To be played on a screen, a lock needs a link. The first time you publish, Escapify explains what is stored and asks you to confirm:

• the whole lock (title, clue, answer, hints, success message and continue link) is stored on our server, in the European Union;
• its content is deleted if nobody opens the link for 24 months;
• you must not include your students' personal data.

When you publish, you get a short escapify.io link and its QR code. You can copy the link, show it on the board, download the QR code as an image or print it on the student sheets.

Fixing a published lock

If you change something after publishing, the editor tells you the published version is out of date and offers to update the link. When you update it, the link and the QR code stay the same, so you don't have to reprint anything to fix a typo.

Taking a link down

You can take a link down at any time: we delete its content, and anyone who opens it sees that it was removed. If you delete a lock from your library, Escapify asks whether to take its link down too. If you don't, your printed materials keep working.

Updating or taking down a link needs the edit key your library keeps with the lock. Nobody else has it, not even us, which is why backups matter.

Can the answer be guessed?

Answers are checked on our server, not on the player's device: the answer isn't written in the page, and hints arrive one at a time. Even so, a short answer can be guessed by trial and error. A four-digit code has 10,000 combinations and, although we limit how many attempts can be made per minute, with patience someone can hit it by chance.

That is why the editor tells you how many combinations your answer has and warns you when it is easy to guess. If it matters that nobody gets it by luck, use a longer answer or a word.

Printing

You can print one lock from the editor, or several at once from your library. Each lock has two sheets:

• the student sheet, with the title, the clue, the instructions and the QR code;
• the teacher sheet, with the answer, the alternative answers, the hints and your notes. Keep it where your students can't see it.

Before printing, you can choose:

• which sheets you want: the students', yours or both;
• QR code or paper: paper mode swaps the QR code for boxes to write the answer in, so the lock is played without devices and doesn't need to be published. With QR codes, Escapify publishes the lock before printing if it isn't published yet;
• how many copies of the student sheet, for example one per team;
• large print, with bigger text in a single column;
• ink saver, with no colour fills, ideal for black-and-white printers.

The sheets fit both A4 and US Letter. The foot of every page shows the print date and the lock's revision, so you can tell when a printed sheet is out of date.

Tip: if the date, the page title or the web address appear on the paper, turn off “Headers and footers” in your browser's print dialog.

Your library

Your locks and their tags are stored in this browser, not in an account. That has an advantage (no sign-up and no passwords) and one important consequence: if you open Escapify in another browser or on another computer, your library won't be there.

In the library you can search, filter by kind, difficulty or tag, star your favourites, duplicate locks and organise them with coloured tags. You can also select several to print, tag, export or delete them in one go.

Make backups

Export your library now and then: you get a file with your locks, their tags and the edit keys of the links you have published. Keep it somewhere safe and don't share it, because it can be used to change your links. If you haven't made a backup for a while, Escapify will remind you.

To move your library to another browser, import that file there. If a lock already exists, the most recent version is kept.

If you use Safari

Safari deletes what a website stores on your device after seven days of browser use without a visit to that site. If you work in Safari, including on an iPhone or iPad, export your library often. Published locks keep working even if the library is deleted, but to edit them or take them down you will need to import your backup.

To delete everything Escapify stores in this browser, use the option to delete local data in the library.

Accessibility

With the Preferences button in the header you can set:

• the theme: light, dark or matching your device;
• the contrast: standard or more contrast;
• the text size: 100%, 115% or 130%;
• animations: matching your device or reduced;
• the font: you can use Atkinson Hyperlegible Next, a typeface designed for readers with low vision.

You can also turn lock sounds on or off there. Preferences are saved in this browser only. The same button appears on the play screen, so each student can choose their own.

On top of that, links are always underlined and the keyboard focus is clearly visible. If you use Windows high-contrast colours, Escapify respects them. In colour locks every colour has its name written on it, so they can be played without telling the colours apart.

Using Escapify with the keyboard

You can move through the whole site with the Tab key and activate buttons and links with Enter or the Space bar. Every kind of lock can also be used entirely from the keyboard:

Frequently asked questions

Do my students need an account?

No. They just open the link or scan the QR code, and they don't have to give any personal data.

And do I need an account to create locks?

No. Escapify has no accounts for now: your library is stored in your browser, so make backups.

Can I use Escapify offline or without devices?

Yes, on paper: print the sheets in paper mode and your students write the answer in the boxes. Playing on a screen does need a connection, because answers are checked on our server.

Can I change the answer after printing the QR code?

Yes. Edit the lock and update its link: the printed QR code keeps working, with your changes.

Can my students see the answer in the page's source code?

No. The answer is never sent to the player's device, hints arrive only when asked for, and the success message and continue link only after a right answer.

Can I chain several locks together?

Yes: use the next lock's link as the previous lock's continue link. Later on you will be able to group locks into a room, with a single link for the whole game.

Which languages does it work in?

Escapify is available in English and Spanish. Each lock has its own language, which is the one your students see when they play, although they can switch it on the play screen.

I found an inappropriate lock. What should I do?

Use the “Report this content” link on the lock's page. A person reviews every report, and we aim to resolve it within two working days. The terms of use explain how.

Contact

Questions, suggestions or found a bug? Write to us at contact@escapify.io. To report illegal or inappropriate content, use the link on the lock's page or write to abuse@escapify.io.