mineswift

An efficient node.js Minesweeper engine with zero dependencies that can be used to easily create minefields and play without having to code any logic.

Some of the most notable capabilities:

• Lots of useful logic methods such as "open" and "getHints" (see below their use);
• Minefield Auto-Solving Algorithm (useful when wanting to make no-guess minefields);
• Current minefield state methods (isGoingOn, isOver etc.);

 

How to use

const Minefield = require("mineswift")

let minefield = new Minefield(4, 6, {mines: 5});
//default mines number is "floor(rows*cols/5)"

Creates a minefield with 4 rows, 6 columns and 5 mines, which is a 2D-Array with row-major layout, that contains:

• [0...3] - The minefield rows.
• [0...3][0...5] - The minefield cells of the row, on their column position. see below their properties.

 

while (minefield.isSolvableFrom([2, 3]) == false) {
    minefield.randomize()
}

Randomizes the minefield until it finds one that is solvable without guessing, starting from the cell at row "2" and column "3"

 

minefield.open([2, 3])

Opens the cell at row "2" and column "3" and may open nearby cells following the minesweeper game rules (like what would happen if the cell doesn't have any mines nearby).

 

if (minefield.isLost()) {
    console.log("you lost!!")
}

Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether a mine has been opened in the current minefield (as in the game has been lost).

 

minefield.visualize()
// ? ? ? ? ? ?
// ? ? 3 2 1 ?
// ? ? 2 0 1 ?
// ? ? 1 0 1 ?

minefield.visualize({uncover: true})
// 1 2 X X 1 0
// 1 X 3 2 1 0
// 2 2 2 0 1 1
// 1 X 1 0 1 X

Returns (and logs by default) a visually clear string of the minefield, useful for debugging.

 

Minefield Cell Properties

Property	Description
mines	The number of mines present around a cell.
isMine	Whether a cell is a mine.
isOpen	Whether a cell is revealed.
isFlag	Whether a cell is flagged.
row	The row position of the cell.
col	The column position of the cell.
pos	An array of the row and column of the cell.

 

Minefield Object Methods

Note that the methods are fully documented in the JSDOC methods comments.

Also, the Minefield class extends the Array class, so you can also use the array default methods.

Method	Description
new Minefield	Creates a new minefield with the given rows, columns and mines number (and randomizes them).
randomize	Replaces the Minefield object with a new Minefield object with the same rows, columns and mines number.
reset	Closes all cells and removes all flags from the minefield.
resetMines	Resets the nearby-mines number for each cell in the current minefield.
simplify	Returns a Number-Only 2D array version of the minefield.
concatenate	Returns a version of the minefield where all the rows are concatenated in a single array. Useful for iterating each cell quickly.
open	Opens a given cell and may open nearby ones following the minesweeper game rules.
isSolvableFrom	Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the minefield is solvable from a given cell (by not guessing).
getHints	Checks the minefield to find hints about its state.
moveMineToCorner	Moves a mine to the to the first free cell of the minefield, starting from the top-left corner.
getNearbyCells	Finds the position of the cells directly around a given cell.
cellAt	Shorthand for getting a cell by doing minefield.cellAt(position) instead of minefield[ position[0] ][ position[1] ].
isNew	Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the game is new (before the first move).
isGoingOn	Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the game is going on (after the first move, before game over).
isOver	Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the game is over (both cleared or lost).
isCleared	Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the minefield has been cleared (no mines opened).
isLost	Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether a mine has been opened in the current minefield.
visualize	Creates a visually clear string of the minefield, useful for debugging.
rows	(getter) The number of rows of the current minefield.
rows	(setter) Either removes rows from the minefield or adds empty ones.
cols	(getter) The number of columns of the current minefield.
cols	(setter) Either removes columns from the minefield or adds empty ones.
cells	(getter) The number of cells in the current minefield.
mines	(getter) The number of mines in the current minefield.
mines	(setter) Either removes random mines from the minefield or adds other ones at random positions.
flags	(getter) The number of flagged cells in the current minefield.

 

Changelog & Breaking Changes

Watch out for this section if you wish to migrate to a different version.

• v1.1.0:
  - Added positions and color options in the visualize method.
  - Added evaluation and error handling for the position parameter.
  - Fixed a bug where the isSolvableFrom method would crash if the chosen cell had 1 or more mines around.
  - Fixed a bug where the number of mines would become very unbalanced as the board became more "rectangular".
  - Fixed a bug where the open method would return the same cell as updated multiple times.

• v1.2.0:
  - Added randomize method.
  - Added unicode and highlight options in the visualize method.
  - The isSolvableFrom method will return false if the chosen cell is a mine, instead of moving it in the upper left corner (like the open method does when firstMove is true).
  - Further optimized the isSolvableFrom method.

• v1.3.0:
  - Added reset method.
  - Added rows, cols and mines setters.
  - Further improved and optimized the isSolvableFrom and getHints methods.
  - Fixed bug in the visualize method where the column positions would slightly shift the right.

• v1.4.0
  - If you pass an array of positions to the mines option of the Minefield constructor, the mines will now be set in those positions.
  - Further optimized the isSolvableFrom and getHints methods.
  - Fixed a bug where creating a Minefield with 0 mines would still randomize the cells.

  • v1.4.1
    - Added examples to the "How to use" section.
    - JSDOC clarifications.

• v1.5.0
  - Migration from JavaScript to TypeScript (completely, not just declaration files). This might introduce some bugs. Please report them if you find them by chance.
  - Fixed some JSDOC types.

  • v1.5.1
    - Fixed some type definitions.

• v1.6.0
  - Added moveMineToCorner method.

 

Found a bug and/or need help?

Please open an issue on Github to request a change, report a bug or ask for help about something and i will gladly look into it.

If you like this library, consider giving it a star on Github. It means a lot :)