Messages

20 minutes on an iMac with 3.4 GHz Core i7 processor and 16GB of main storage, with Sierra 10.12.6 and Qt 5.9.1 installed.

Note: There was no need for "make install", perhaps because I moved the initial unzipped folder to /Applications before starting the compilation process.

Mark

Thanks for creating an excellent computer program.  One of the great challenges in documenting or giving direct explanations is how much detail to include.  I have taught a few thousand (adult) students the principles of software engineering and Oracle database administration.  Whenever I get a question, I often have to restrain myself from telling the questioner everything I know about the subject.  There are two reasons why.  One, the class would be going forever.  Two, the extra detail (such as lists of exceptions to the general principles, and then exceptions to the exceptions) is very likely to overwhelm the beginning learner, leaving him confused and frustrated.  Of course, the trade-off is, if you don't warn him of the exceptions, he may encounter one, and then fail at some assignment at his job.

There is no easy answer to this dilemma.

Thanks for your patience in answering questions on the Forum, and your skill in creating the program.  As I use it more, I may find some specific suggestions.

Mark

I thought I understood perfectly, until your edited additional comment.  Does it propose to use some combination of both categories and groups, or ... what?

Let's solve the case for only a single class.  I do not need Ia, Ib, Ic, Id logic.  Worse, when explanations refer to options for handling this additional complexity, those explanations become (of necessity) much more difficult to comprehend for the beginner (me).

There is only one small single class, with the need to split on two different occasions during the day.  But, in one split, they break up into two parts, and in the other split, into three parts (unrelated to the way they divided into two parts during the other split).

For the two-way split, there is no need for the two activities to take place simultaneously (although it might end up that way, given that these are school children with 100% full schedules).  For the three-way split, the three activities should be simultaneous, but because of additional constraints (they are all options - what we call "electives" - for the end-of-day activity).

What is the recommended approach?

Alternatively (or, in addition), what are the general circumstances which would cause one to prefer groups over categories as a dividing strategy, and what are the reverse circumstances, that would cause one to prefer categories?

TIA,

Mark

I have a single class of students that stays together for several activities during a day, but splits up twice.  Once, the division is based on native English speakers vs. speakers whose native language is other than English.  A second time the division is based on each student making a choice from one of three possibilities (Art or Computers or Sports).  All six combinations are possible.

What is the best way to organize the students?  Six groups and no categories, or two categories (one with two choices and another with three) and no groups?  Sub-groups?  Some combination of groups and categories together?  I am confused.   

TIA for any advice you can give,

Mark

Given a set of two activities for a subject, what is the most flexible way to request that they be scheduled on consecutive days, but any two consecutive days (M-Tu, Tu-W, W-Th, or Th-F) during the week are O.K.?  The activities do not have to take place at the same time each day.

(Hopefully, the approach won't be specific to a set of two activities, because it might be a set of three or a set of four.)

TIA,

Mark

P.S.  By "most flexible" I mean the way that allows the widest range of solutions to be considered, as long as the constraint is satisfied.