New Constraint Force consecutive

[mbarsan]

We have the flag 'If activities on same day, force consecutive' in the dialog Add activity. When 2 subactivities must be placed in the same day, they will be consecutive.

I need a similar constraint for subactivities involving a teacher and a students set.

This because I have activities with the same teacher and the same students set, but different subjects.

Till now, to solve this problem, I have created a new subject, adding the names (and the hours) of the two (or more) subject needed.

Have I to go on with this (not elegant) solution or is it possible to have a new constraint for activities filtered by teacher and student set?

[Liviu Lalescu]

You can add a constraint min n days for any (sub)activities. Isn't that the constraint you need?

But I would prefer the (not elegant) solution of adding fake subject (and add maybe activity tags),  because if you spread the activities you'll loose the above manually added constraint.

[mbarsan]

Hi Liviu,  

In my groups I have 2 teachers for subjects Italian (2+1+1+1 hours) and History (1+1+1 hours).

This is for several groups, but for 2 or 3 groups I have only one teacher for those two subjects.

For this groups I put into FET one teacher and one subject (ita-his: 3+2+1+1+1). When generating a timetable, if FET have to put two subactivities in a same day, I ask to force consecutivity and I have no problem. But this is not elegant!

I would prefer to put into FET two activities: one for italian (5 hours) and a different one for history (3 hours), with the same teacher. Often happens that an italian subactivity lies near an history subactivity, but not consecutive.

I would like to ask FET to put this subactivities consecutive ONLY if they are (randomly) placed in the same day.

(I don't remember if you told me that this feature was in your TODO list...)

Thanks  

[Volker Dirr]

Hi Liviu,  

In my groups I have 2 teachers for subjects Italian (2+1+1+1 hours) and History (1+1+1 hours).

This is for several groups, but for 2 or 3 groups I have only one teacher for those two subjects.

For this groups I put into FET one teacher and one subject (ita-his: 3+2+1+1+1). When generating a timetable, if FET have to put two subactivities in a same day, I ask to force consecutivity and I have no problem. But this is not elegant!

yes. not elegant.
first of all you use 3+2+1+1+1. as a teacher i think i will prefer 2+2+2+1+1.

second of all why don't you use a simpe "activities are grouped" constraint?

so the 2+1+1+1 activities are maybe activity id's a1+a2+a3+a4
and the 1+1+1 activities are maybe activity id's a5+a6+a7.

so i recommend to group by group constraint activity a2 with a5.
also a3 with a6.
then have a look and search the min n day constraint of a1+a2+a3+a4 and add a7 into this constraint.

ready.

[mbarsan]

Yes!
This is a very nice trick.
Thanks Volker

8-)

[mbarsan]

... why don't you use a simpe "activities are grouped" constraint?

so the 2+1+1+1 activities are maybe activity id's a1+a2+a3+a4
and the 1+1+1 activities are maybe activity id's a5+a6+a7.

so i recommend to group by group constraint activity a2 with a5.
also a3 with a6.
then have a look and search the min n day constraint of a1+a2+a3+a4 and add a7 into this constraint.

ready.

I would like also another feature that is lost (I think) with this trick: the ability to have two activities grouped when they must be placed in the same day.
I refer to activities I asked to place in different days by Min days between activities, when FET find impossible to respect this constraint.

This is allowed only when you define a new large activity.

We are talking about activities with the same teacher and different subjects.
That feature is highly desired, but I find the option "If activities on the same day, force consecutive" only in the dialog "Add new activity". So I prefer to use a new description of a combined subject in one macro activity.

I hope to be clear... Am I right?

[Volker Dirr]

That feature is highly desired, but I find the option "If activities on the same day, force consecutive" only in the dialog "Add new activity".

You can also find it in the min n days constraint dialoge.
so in that case you should use a min n day constraint and not a group constraint.

[mbarsan]

  ... Well, paint me blue and call me a smurf. I hadn't noticed ... Thanks

(as Corfiot said, once upon a time)