I need to schedule a timetable that has blocks of subjects for some year-groups. That is, for Year 12, there are four groups, each with about six subjects and having six lessons. The six lessons for all the subjects in the same group take place at the same time.
I can get it to work by creating a Time/Activities/Others1/A group of lessons has the same starting time (day and hour). This will be quite a lot of constraints to add individually and I am also slightly concerned that it might introduce difficulties if, for example, one subject is taught by two teachers, each teaching three lessons in a block, and most are taught by a single teacher.
Is there a better of way of doing this?
must be the subjects at the same subjects at the same time?
if not:
Have a look at example 2: https://www.timetabling.de/manual/FET-manual.en.html#id_12
There are 4 groups with 4 subjects and 6 lessons. I just setup the correct students structure, but i don't use same starting time constrainst. bit even i don't add these constraints, the lessons will be automaticly at the same starting time if the studnets table is full. Even if your studnets timetable is not full it doesn't matter as long as you have got a 0 gaps constraints for the students.
In my opinion the "same starting time" constraint is missused by many timetablemakers. They use it even it will be automaticly done and/or it is in fact not needed. if you don't have the studnets table is not full and you want to have class and course lessons always at the same time (even that is in fact not needed!) you can still just set not avaiable times to the students. So they got a full table by that and same starting time constraints are again not needed, since it will be automaticly at the same staring time, since there is mathematicly no other solution possible. So no need to input that constraints.
if "yes":
just add all studnets and teachers into a single activity. add a vitual room to that activty so you will get enough rooms. the table won't look perfect, but it will be the easierst way to enter the data and the fastes way to generate the timetable. If you want to split that activity so that teachers, students and room are seperated into there own activity you can use TiTiTo after generating. There is a split option for such a case.
I think adding same starting times constraints is the best approach. I do not understand:
Quote from: robbo on January 12, 2023, 10:52:28 PMI am also slightly concerned that it might introduce difficulties if, for example, one subject is taught by two teachers, each teaching three lessons in a block, and most are taught by a single teacher.
Sorry for the delay in replying. Thank you for your suggestions. I think Example 2 will do what I need.
I can't get it working yet. As a trial I have set up:
Year 13 with four groups A,B,C,D. For Group D, I have created three sub-groups U6D/Cs, U6D/Ar and U6D/Bi.
I have created activities:
U6D/Ar 6 split lessons with JLH teaching Ar
U6D/Bi 6 split lessons with OEP teaching Bi
U6D/Cs 4 split lessons with TKF teaching Cs
U6D/Cs 2 split lessons with NPR teaching Cs
TKF's and NPR's lessons should be at the same times as the first two, but obviously not at the same time as each other's. That is, all the four groups of lessons should occupy the same six periods in the timetable.
I have tried with and without time constraints. I have a minimal .fet file with this set up if that helps.
Thanks
They will be at the same time as soon as the other times are used. I guess you didn't entered other activities yet. Maybe just add 20+ dummy activities to that class without teachers and you will see that the activites of the subgroups will be forced to be at the same time. no need to add time constraint for that.
Quote from: robbo on January 28, 2023, 12:02:48 PMI have tried with and without time constraints. I have a minimal .fet file with this set up if that helps.
Please share your fet file.
I think 6 constraints activities same starting time should be enough.
Maybe you need to consider dividing the years automatically by categories?
Did you do timetables with FET in the past? Are you experienced with it?
Thank you. How would you like the fet file?
I used FET very successfully (with a complex requirement) for about four years until I changed schools nine years ago. I have taken over at my current school to produce the timetable for next September. I thought I would begin by trying to implement the current requirement.
Here, archived, or by email, liv4 at lalescu.ro. Volker is u6m4 at timetabling.de, but I am not sure he wants it.
Thanks, I will email in a moment. The minimal file does contain time constraints to schedule each of the 'six' lessons at the same time and it works. In the whole timetable, there are four years where this blocking occurs with six subjects in each of the four blocks and 3-6 lessons in each block, so that is a lot of individual constraints!
I just sent you two methods:
1) Create activities with duration 6 each (1+...+1 6 times), and just modify the subactivities when a teacher is different. Then add multiple same starting times. You will see easier and click 6 times less buttons.
2) Not so efficient: you can add a single constraint activities occupy max time slots from selection. It is easy to create, select the filter 3 times and add all the activities of those subgroups. But the constraint of type same starting time is more efficient.
PS: Don't worry if you get warning about a newer FET version, it is only on my hard disk for now.
It is easy to create, select the filter 3 times and add all the activities of those subgroups. But the constraint of type same starting time is more efficient.
This way will be welcomed and supported by users
This way allows users to import from CSV, which is great
Adding multiple constraints did exactly what is needed. Thank you.