Piccoli suggerimenti di modifica al software

[Nando]

Innanzitutto complimenti all'autore del software, è fatto molto bene. Al terzo anno di utilizzo riesco a gestire con una certa facilità le problematiche della mia scuola. L'unico problema sono i tempi lunghi di elaborazione che però credo dipendano dai tanti vincoli presenti, tre plessi, prescuola, docenti in comune con altre scuole, richieste giorni liberi concentrati al sabato e lunedì ecc. L'ultimo orario ha impiegato circa 70 ore ma l'importante è che sia stato fatto.
Nel chiedere se sono normali questi tempi di elaborazione, faccio notare delle cose che spererei fossero migliorate:
1) Perchè è possibile mettere delle eccezioni più restrittive e non estensive? Esempio num max ore buche per tutti i docenti (3), si può impostare un numero inferiore (2) ma non maggiore (4). Idem per numero giorni a settimana per tutti i docenti, si può mettere l'eccezione in meno ma non in più.
2) A mio parere alcune criticità del programma dipendono dal fatto di non avere sufficienti ore disponibili da collocare in alcune classi in determinati giorni (esemio il sabato con tanti docenti col giorno libero mi sono trovato a non avere la disponibilità oraria necessaria per coprire tutte le classi. 12 classi su tre plessi necessitavano di 12x5= 60 ore mentre  i docenti disponibili me ne potevano garantire 58) in questo caso il software non segnala niente, semplicemente non porta a termine l'elaborazione. Sarebbe opportuno avere un report che indichi il num. max di ore disponibile nei vari giorni in modo da evidenziare eventuali criticità prima dell'elaborazione.
3) La stampa per "classi", "tempo verticale per giorno"  dell'orario ha sempre la prima colonna molto stretta, c'e modo di modificarla?
Infine vorrei chiedere come si può fare dal punto di vista burocratico far avere dalla scuola una meritata donazione a Liviu.
Grazie

[Liviu Lalescu]

Grazie per i complimenti! 

Io non parlo bene l'italiano. Va scribere in inglese:

0) 70 hours just to generate a file? Wow, that is very much! I would be interested in your file - you can send it by email, if it is private. Also, feel free to tell me the name of your school and its site, if you would like.

1) I am so sorry, but this was not considered from the start, and now it is complicated and risky to change. It is suggested by many other users, and I also added your words in the TODO. But in FET every constraint is respected, so I could not make say max gaps = 2 for all teachers, but max gaps = 3 for a particular teacher, because the max 2 gaps for all teachers is no respected.

2) There are very many cases like yours. It is too difficult to take care of everything, and at anytime other cases might occur that are not in this pattern. But I added your words in the TODO.

3) This one is for Volker. Maybe he can answer this. I will tell him to see your post. I also added this in the TODO.

4) Thank you for your kind thought! I could sign an invoice if needed; also I have a paper from my university that I am allowed to receive donations for FET, and I could send a copy.

[Volker Dirr]

I am not sure if i understood correct.
It is always as small as possible too save space.
You can make it larger by modifing the css file.
See:
https://www.timetabling.de/manual/FET-manual.en.html#id_87

[Nando]

Thank you for your answer, I send you my file for timetable. I'd like you give me suggestions to reduce the processing time.
My school is: I.C. Lagonegro (PZ) Italy. Website www.iclagonegro.edu.it
I asked my school to send you a donation for your extraordinary work.
Saluti

[Liviu Lalescu]

Thank you for your file! I added it as an official example (in the Italy/2020/I-C-Lagonegro/ directory, named I-C-Lagonegro.fet and I-C-Lagonegro-locked.fet - which is your initial file).

I generated twice. Once it finished in a bit over 7 minutes. On other generation it is still generating, after 40 minutes (max 351/352). So it depends on luck.

I examined your file. You did an excellent job and I cannot improve it, I think. The only thing I can suggest would be a multiple generation with an upper limit of generation time of say 30 minutes or less (I have a Ryzen 2700x). And if you have multiple processors, start more FET instances on the same computer and let each one generate.

Thank you very much for your kind intention!

[Liviu Lalescu]

To my surprise, the second run finished in ~58 minutes. And it was a higher surprise that it finished with 0 conflicts and only 3 constraints broken (with 0% each). I attach the files (they are generated with the future FET-5.48.2 from my hard disk, ignore the warning).

So, you could try to increase all the weights to 100% and only leave these 3 constraints with 0% and generate multiple (you have an easy way to modify multiple constraints min days between activities with a single click).

[Nando]

You can add it as an official example (in the Italy/2020/I-C-Lagonegro/ directory, named I-C-Lagonegro.fet and I-C-Lagonegro-locked.fet - which is your initial file) but change teachers' name in Teacher1, 2, 3 and so on, please.
Thank you for all
Bye Pasquale

[Liviu Lalescu]

OK, I will do this right now. Do you want me to update the .fet files here on the forum, because they are public?

[Liviu Lalescu]

I decided that it is better not to add your file as an official FET example, and I will only keep it on my hard disk as a private input file, to be sure we do nothing wrong. Let me know if you want me to anonymize the files here on the forum.

[Nando]

It's better. Change teacher's name or delete file. I don't know if there is a privacy problem. Thank you

[Liviu Lalescu]

OK, Pasquale, I updated my file above to the anonymized one, and I see you removed your file from your post.