How on earth do springs work?

[avie!!]

Suddenly hitting a brick wall of no progress because the game has introduced a new building mechanic but hasn't explained it any way. I find it a bit odd that Springs have no tutorial when things like hydraulics do. They're clearly more complex to deal with than Cables/Ropes that much is true, but no matter how I use them in an attempted solution, they never seem to actually do anything. I'm sure there's probably a solution to the level I'm stuck on (first jump) but I'm not exactly the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to these kinds of games.

[ice9]

The most basic use of springs is to act as a shock absorber. You can also compress the strings to force the spring to expand/decompress when the simulation starts.

If you're stuck on a level, you can browse the gallery to see solutions to get some ideas on how to use springs.

[avie!!]

I'm guessing that "compressing" the springs basically means "make them shorter" or something? I couldn't quite figure out what that meant in the tip. And how does one access the gallery before you've completed a level? It didn't seem to be something I could get to before beating it.

[mbutton15]

If you hover over the middle of the spring you should get a yellow arrow appear, similar to hydraulics. Slide this to get them to expand/decompress.

There is a 'Gallery' option on the menu page which allows you to view other players solutions.

[avie!!]

Alright, I'll give it another shot then. Cheers!