I noted that some of you have GBs in the log files. Please submit a program that prints the least possible in the standard output. The only thing that is needed is the solution in the file that will be given a command line parameter to your program.


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In table 1 of the assignment description do the values in Optimal
stand for the sum of the objective function and the violations of
constraints or is it only the objective function?


only the objective function


> third: I don't really understand the differentiation between
> Construction Heuristic and Metaheuristic in table 2 in the description,
> does it imply that I have to do both? And how should it look like with
> results?

Most metaheuristics need a starting solution, which can be a random solution or the one provided by a construction heuristic.
The program you submit must do the best possible thing within the time limit, which is certainly not just the result of the construction heuristic. A metaheuristic indeed improves the results provided by a construction heuristic using the time left to the time limit.
Your final algorithm must be the consequence of motivated decisions...

However in the report you have to report also the results of the construction heuristic.


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Tue Jan  5 13:45:22 CET 2016

Where do I implement a construction heuristic?


You have to implement your construction heuristic in
StateManager::GreedyState and set the parameter
random_initial_state("random_state", "Random initial state",
this->parameters);

Below where that function is called:


template<class Input, class Output, class State, typename CFtype>
void AbstractLocalSearch<Input, Output, State, CFtype>::FindInitialState() {
 if (random_initial_state)
    current_state_cost = sm.SampleState(*p_current_state, init_trials);
 else {
      sm.GreedyState(*p_current_state);
      current_state_cost = sm.CostFunctionComponents(*p_current_state);
 }
 *p_best_state = *p_current_state;
 best_state_cost = current_state_cost;
}

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Mon Jan  4 19:35:37 CET 2016

Q: In input.hh, on lines 22-25, you write the following comments:

struct bounds {
   char type;
   // 5 == ; 3 x <= ub ; 2 x >= lb
   // but we will have only type 3 and 5.

but in the instance file ‘acc-tight4’ there are also constraints of type 2.
All this is confusing!



A: The comments are leftovers and should be deleted. Nothing of what
they say is true. Make sure that you are not misled but what they say.


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