I think we should add in the index.html a new entry, activities with unspecified room. Like: "View: <a>soft conflicts list</a>, <a>activities with unspecified room</a>".
What do you say?
No use for me, but okay.
My first idea is not very nice, because in the interface we have not this possibility of viewing such activities, and also not all users will check this link. Maybe another idea would be a new constraint, "ConstraintReportActivitiesWithUnspecifiedRoom". But this is also ugly, cause it is a constraint which does nothing, and also most of the cases are taken care of in other constraints, like preferred room(s).
As an explanation for my concern over the issue, I saw Fabio Piedimonte's post in his Italian page (see Tools/Links on the FET homepage), he had an activity with two students sets and found out a bit too late that the home room of the students will not be respected. Also, other users forgot to constrain some activities to some rooms.
A simple trick is to search the activities.xml (in the results directory) for the string "<Room></Room>". But not many will do that.
In my opinion this idea is ok, but not perfect. Please compare mail from maillinglist around 27.07.2010.
QuoteIn my opinion this idea is ok, but not perfect. Please compare mail from maillinglist around 27.07.2010.
I write here that email, because it is not easily accessible for others (source code of Volker is attached):
---
> On 27/7/2010 12:43 μμ, Liviu Lalescu wrote:
>>
>>>> An easy/fast check: in activities.xml, search for the string
>>>> "<Room></Room>". This represents an activity without room.
>>>>
>>>> Please tell me if this works for you.
>>> Yes I can work with that. However, it'd be nice if we could get a class
>>> "noroom" or something in the html output for those activities with no
>>> room, then I can style them and make them red or something. This way
>>> non-technical people can see if an activity is 'dangling'.
>> Non-technical persons I think cannot modify the css, but I am not the
>> best
>> person to talk about HTML. Volker maybe could answer here.
>>
> Well, yes, they can't but it's much easier to just bundle a css file (or
> a patch) and send it off to the secretaries automatically (I'm working
> on automatic timetable generation for our department).
>
> In any case, I think it would be a useful default to highlight
> activities with no rooms or just to add a small option in the output
> menu about this.
>
> --G
>
it is not direclty possible with html at the moment.
in my opinion it is also much to late if you check that after the
generation is done.
in my opinion this should be checked before generating a timetable.
i implement a bit source. please compile and check, i didn't test much.
of course if liviu want to add that, he should maybe do just one message
box and maybe also a flag in the settings to enable/disable "check if
activities will get a room".
---
Sorry I can't build, not enough time at the moment to set it all up and test.
I don't think it's useful in the HTML index. The option is possibly too obscure. You could however display it in the 'rooms' tables as a note in the bottom or top ("activities with no room: ......"). Or create a virtual room "no room" table. But that's just messy.
I think the most important thing is to notify the user on timetable generation. For me, an activity with no room is a problem - a mistake. So I need to know at the generate dialog and fix it before we get to the HTML. You could just print it in the dialog, I think there are enough pop-ups there already.
If you do the above, I simply don't care about the css 'noroom' class.
Quote
I think the most important thing is to notify the user on timetable generation. For me, an activity with no room is a problem - a mistake. So I need to know at the generate dialog and fix it before we get to the HTML. You could just print it in the dialog, I think there are enough pop-ups there already.
For you, yes, a problem. But for some other users, including beginners, it is a weird problem to add a warning, because they want to just generate a timetable without inputting any rooms, without adding space constraints yet, or simply care only about special activities' rooms, and leave most activities without room.
I could make an option, "report activities which may end up with unspecified room". Some users, like you, want this enabled by default, others want it disabled. What if you forget to enable it, or modify it accidentally? Disaster.
What if I always report activities without room? Users will get annoyed and think FET can only work with all activities having specified rooms. Also, some might want 90% Physics activities constrained to Physics lab, and also get annoyed by the message.
Also, I don't report to the user: "Hey, you didn't care about students' gaps", or that teachers have many gaps allowed. The user is in control. It's his mistake, but FET lets him do mistakes.
Some might suggest a new button, "Report potential problems" or similar. It is an important button and I want it in the buttons as well as in the menu. But where? The space constraints tab is full. Also, some users in George's situation might forget using it.
Another solution: add a constraint, "Report, right before generating the timetable, each activity which may end up with unspecified room". But this is not a real constraint. Anyway, please tell me what you think about this.
Since I am the only one against two, I will not add a list of activities with unspecified room in the index.html. But I cannot add a new warning when generating the timetable, like Volker and George want, at least for the moment. I'll think about it.
Quote
Some might suggest a new button, "Report potential problems" or similar. It is an important button and I want it in the buttons as well as in the menu. But where? The space constraints tab is full.
Why not build all constraints dialog box like
Maximum simultaneous activities.. ?
This way, we wont need duplicate entries for every single constraint:
Max gap per week for a teacher
Max gap per week for
all teacher
Max gap per day for a teacher
Max gap per dat for
all teacher
...etc
We will have only on entry per constraint for example "Max gap per day for teachers"
Once you enter this dialog box, you will have possibility to:
-add single teacher , by clicking his name
-add handful teachers, two or three .. by clicking their names
-add all by clicking "all" button
I know, users are used to have double entries... they may be get confused.. etc But this is how important things in life come to change. We have to adapt ourselves to it. Otherwise, things will stay as they were for ever
This is a good idea for the future.
A better idea: sets of teachers, with a universal set which represents all teachers (think about a person adding all present teachers to a constraint, then adding another teacher and forgetting to add constraints for him). And each constraint to have a set of teachers. Or each constraint needs more sets of teachers?
But only as in idea for the very far future.
Volker and Corfiot, what about this: add a new button in the statistics menu: "Show activities which will not get a room, and those which may not get a room"? The user should verify statistics before generating.
QuoteWhat about this: add a new button in the statistics menu: "Show activities which will not get a room, and those which may not get a room"? The user should verify statistics before generating.
That is a nice idea.
OK then, I added an "Activities rooms statistics", please get latest snapshot (see Snapshots section here on forum).
Please tell me:
1) I only care about activities which will/might end up in no room. Is it important to show the activities which have preferred rooms and home rooms constraints, and in their case they will/might not be affected by home rooms constraints (the home rooms constraints will/might be neglected)?
The only problem - there is no space in the dialog for two additional text boxes.
2) The default size of the dialog is good? Not too large? (It is 628x540 pixels).