The tool can be downloaded (Windows and Mac): SolutionsUpdate.zip
** Menu NEW
Use for: Create a new dataset file or a new results file
New dataset file: As a user, you have to specify how many instances you want in the new dataset file. Afterwards, this dataset file will need some manual adaptations (in MS Excel) to specify which instances should be in the dataset file (originally, the instance names are filenameID.rcp and should be replaced by their real names)
Note: Afterwards, the user should use the RESET menu on the new dataset file to make sure that the initial values are automatically calculated (e.g. CPM lower bound and indicators of the project instances (both network and resource indicators))
New results file: A user can generate an empty results file for a given dataset file (that must be open). Of course, the user should then run his/her program to obtain results that should be put in the results file. We hope these results outperform the current best ones! Good luck!
** Menu OPEN
Use for: Open files and update best known solutions
Open dataset:
Show the dataset file
Open results:
Show the results file
Note: When the results file is opened, the dataset file will be updated if it is also open and if new best known solutions are found.
** Menu RESET
Use for: Automatically calculate easy lower bounds and project indicators (network topology and resource indicators) for newly created dataset files
** Menu SUBSET
Use for: Generate a subset from a given dataset file, and create a new dataset file with only the instances in the subset.
After clicking on subset, the user will get a screen with options how to select the subset, as follows:
- Specify the instances by ID
- Open: Generate only the instances for which no optimal solution is known
- Closed: Generate only the instances for which an optimal solution is known
Note: Now that you have generated a new dataset file for a subset, the user should create a results file too (cf. menu NEW) and generate the instances (menu GENERATE)
** Menu GENERATE
Use for: Generate the project instances from any given dataset file
Step 1. Select a folder to save the subset of instances
Step 2. The user should specify a prefix of the instance to define a filename for each instance. The ID will be added automatically
Step 3. The user should locate the original folder where the original instances are saved (this folder might contain subfolders with instances)
Note: It is advised always to generate instances, even if you have them available, since the generation process removes some superfluous resources or renames the instances if necessary. Moreover, only the relevant files will be generated (those specified in the dataset file) instead the complete set, so it will save space on your computer.
Note: A special case is when you generate instances for the NetRes set, where both project networks (MT set) and resource files (ResSet) should be merged. In that case, the dataset file contains 3 references: 1 for the MT networks, 1 for the ResSet, and 1 for the ID in the ResSet.
Step 3 will now be asked twice: A first time for the network files (add the folder), and a second time for the ResSet files (add the folder).
** Maintain PSPLIB and MMLIB
Use for: Creating solutions for the PSPLIB or MMLIB websites (and occasionally, to update datafiles with best known solutions from these websites)
Send new results to the PSPLIB and MMLIB website:
For a given dataset file and a results file, you can easily generate solutions in the PSPLIB and MMLIB format. These solutions can then be uploaded by the PSPLIB website (www.om-db.wi.tum.de/psplib) and MMLIB website (www.mmlib.eu).
The user should open the dataset file, should go the results tab and click on PSPLIB or MMLIB and then open the results file to generate the PSPLIB or MMLIB solutions.
Import the known solutions from the PSPLIB or MMLIB website:
The solutions in the PSPLIB and MMLIB website do not contain start times of the activities (and modes for the multi-mode) but only values for the best known makespan. Hence, when the dataset file is updated by opening the results file of these websites, the user should click on “No Solutions” to specify that no start times are available, only values for the makespan.
Two tutorial movies to use the GUI version of the tool are also available:
- Short movie: Gives a quick demo on how to use the main menus of the tool, and explains the difference between the "dataset" file and "results" file.
- Long movie: Eloborates on more advanced topics such as how to generate a subset of data, how to generate files for the NetRes set or how to generate solutions for the PSPLIB and/or MMLIB website.