tablix_plot - Tablix data plotter

tablix_plot test options

Tablix is a high school timetable generator. It uses a coarse-grained parallel genetic algorithm to construct sensible timetables from XML-formated school information files. It can run on a single host as well as on a heterogeneous parallel virtual machine by using PVM3.

tablix_plot plots various population convergence graphs using data in files usually named conv0.txt , conv1.txt , ... Tablix will save convergence data into these files if it was compiled with the --enable-conv option.

These graphs can be useful for example to get a rough estimate of time required to solve a particular problem (note that tablix_plot can be safely used with files that are still written to by a running Tablix instance).

Graphs are plotted with gnuplot using the default output terminal (which is in most cases a X11 display). Encapsulated postscript files can be obtained by setting EPSOUTPUT environment variable. The contents of this variable are used by tablix_plot as a file name to write to. In a similar way, output in scalable vector graphics (SVG) format can be obtained by setting SVGOUTPUT environment variable.

tablix_plot --conv-grade [ --scale SCALE ] [ PREFIX ] ...

Plot population convergence graph using convergence data in files conv*.txt in the current directory. One line is drawn for each computing node. It shows the grade of the best timetable versus generation count.

Use the PREFIX option, if you used the -o option with Tablix.

Use the SCALE option to adjust the vertical scale. You can use more than one PREFIX option to plot multiple convergence graphs in one window.

tablix_plot --conv-mandatory [ --scale SCALE ] [ PREFIX ] ...

Same as --conv-grade above, except that the graph shows the number of unsatisfied mandatory restrictions in the best timetable versus generation count.

tablix_plot --fit-grade [ --scale SCALE ] [ PREFIX ] ...

Same as --conv-grade above, except that an exponential function is also drawn on the graph using least squares fitting. This can be used to get a rough estimate of the time required to find a solution. The SCALE parameter is used to adjust the horizontal scale in this case.

tablix_plot --modules [ --scale SCALE ] CONVFILE XMLFILE

Plot the number of unsatisfied restrictions per module versus generation count. Unsatisfied mandatory restrictions are plotted with thicker lines.

CONVFILE must be a file with Tablix population convergence data (usually named conv*.txt ). XMLFILE must be either the exact XML configuration file that was used when the convergence data in CONVFILE was saved or the result XML file (usually named result*.xml ).

Use the SCALE option to adjust the vertical scale.

If Tablix was started with the following command:

tablix -o u1_ sample.xml

then the following command plots the population convergence graph:

tablix_plot --conv-grade u1_

Encapsulated postscript version of the same graph can be obtained with the following command in bash shell:

EPSOUTPUT=graph.eps tablix_plot --conv-grade u1_

To see which mandatory restriction is preventing Tablix from finding the solution, use the per module plot, possibly with a small vertical scale:

tablix_plot --modules --scale 10 conv0.txt sample.xml

Per module plot (--modules option) will not work if any of the <module> tags in the configuration file spans multiple lines.

Tomaz Solc (tomaz.solc@siol.net)

tablix(1), Tablix User's Manual, Tablix modules HOWTO, Tablix on Morphix HOWTO