diff --git a/day12/dayTwelve.go b/day12/dayTwelve.go
index 06b7946..af61b94 100644
--- a/day12/dayTwelve.go
+++ b/day12/dayTwelve.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import (
 func Run() int {
 	fmt.Println("hello day 12.")
 
-	filename := "day12/input"
+	filename := "day12/example1"
 	bytes, err := os.ReadFile(filename)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("error reading file %s\n", filename))
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ func Run() int {
 	text := string(bytes)
 	text = strings.TrimSpace(text)
 
-	// testMask := "???????#??.????####?"
-	// testBlocks := []int{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 6}
+	// testMask, testBlocks := ReadLine(".??..??...?##. 1,1,3")
 	// blocksSum := 0
 	// for _, block := range testBlocks {
 	// 	blocksSum += block
@@ -54,6 +53,17 @@ func Run() int {
 	return result
 }
 
+func myRepeat(line, sep string, amount int) string {
+	acc := ""
+	for i := 0; i < amount; i++ {
+		acc += sep
+		acc += line
+	}
+	acc, _ = strings.CutPrefix(acc, sep)
+
+	return acc
+}
+
 // ???.### 1,1,3
 func ReadLine(line string) (string, []int) {
 	firstSplit := strings.Split(line, " ")
@@ -61,7 +71,11 @@ func ReadLine(line string) (string, []int) {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("error splitting %s into 2", line))
 	}
 	mask := firstSplit[0]
-	blockLengthStrings := strings.Split(firstSplit[1], ",")
+	mask = myRepeat(mask, "?", 5)
+	blocks := firstSplit[1]
+	blocks = myRepeat(blocks, ",", 5)
+	// log.Printf(">> repeating blocks %s", blocks)
+	blockLengthStrings := strings.Split(blocks, ",")
 	blockLengs := make([]int, len(blockLengthStrings))
 
 	for i, blockLenStr := range blockLengthStrings {
@@ -76,6 +90,11 @@ func ReadLine(line string) (string, []int) {
 }
 
 func generatePermutations(curString string, targetLength int, blockLengths []int, blockLengthsSum int, mask string) []string {
+	// fmt.Printf("> entering with \n%s\nfor map \n%s\n\n", curString, mask)
+	// time.Sleep(time.Second)
+	if !isVariantMatchesMask(curString, mask) {
+		return []string{}
+	}
 
 	// log.Printf("> entering with %s\n", curString)
 	if len(blockLengths) == 0 {