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🔬 Cross-Reference: Eurario Parameters & FET XML Constraints

Eurario's timetabling solver is powered by the official high-performance native FET (Free Timetabling Software) engine.

This document details the exact, bi-directional mapping between pedagogical parameters configured in the Eurario user interface and the compiled XML tags fed to the FET engine (Official FET Documentation).

1. Core Entity Mapping

Eurario Concept FET XML Entity Attributes & Architectural Notes
Teacher <Teacher> Identified uniquely by <Name>. Embeds competition codes and contract hours in comments.
Standard Class <Year> Represents a student cohort (e.g. 1A, 3B, 5CSA). In FET, this defines the highest-level student grouping.
Academic Track / Articulation <Group> A subgroup of a class sharing common courses but diverging for specialized tracks (e.g. 3A_INFO, 3A_TEL).
Language Group / Lab Subgroup <Subgroup> An atomic student division for split classes (e.g. 1A_FRA, 1A_SPA).
Subject <Subject> Curricular academic subject. When assigned a short_name, the abbreviation is used for printed reports while the canonical name is preserved in FET.
Teaching Allocation (Cattedra) <Activity> Group Decomposed into convex sub-activities tied together by the same <Activity_Group_Id>.
School Campus / Building <Building> Physical school facility (e.g., Main Campus, Branch Campus).
Room / Laboratory <Room> Physical space tied to a <Building> with a maximum seating <Capacity>.

2. Teacher Time Constraints (Time_Constraints_List)

A. Contractual Day Off & Hourly Unavailabilities

  • Eurario Interface: Teacher Profile → Availability Tab → Weekly clickable grid (days x periods).
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintTeacherNotAvailableTimes>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintTeacherNotAvailableTimes>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Teacher_Name>Rossi Mario</Teacher_Name>
  <Number_of_Not_Available_Times>6</Number_of_Not_Available_Times>
  <Not_Available_Time>
    <Day>Sat</Day>
    <Hour>1</Hour>
  </Not_Available_Time>
  <!-- ... periods 1 to 6 for the contractual day off -->
</ConstraintTeacherNotAvailableTimes>
  • Solver Impact: Hard constraint (100% weight). FET strictly prohibits placing any teaching activity in marked slots.

B. Maximum and Minimum Working Days per Week

  • Eurario Interface: Teacher Modal → Active Days per Week (min_days and max_days).
  • FET XML Tags:
  • <ConstraintTeacherMaxDaysPerWeek>
  • <ConstraintTeacherMinDaysPerWeek>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintTeacherMaxDaysPerWeek>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Teacher_Name>Bianchi Laura</Teacher_Name>
  <Max_Days_Per_Week>4</Max_Days_Per_Week>
</ConstraintTeacherMaxDaysPerWeek>
<ConstraintTeacherMinDaysPerWeek>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Teacher_Name>Bianchi Laura</Teacher_Name>
  <Min_Days_Per_Week>3</Min_Days_Per_Week>
</ConstraintTeacherMinDaysPerWeek>
  • Practical Use: Essential for part-time schedules (e.g., a teacher present exclusively on 3 or 4 days) and eliminating isolated 1-hour days.

C. Free Period Windows (Daily & Weekly Gap Hours)

  • Eurario Interface: School Settings → Max daily gaps (default 1) and Max weekly gaps (default 2-3).
  • FET XML Tags:
  • <ConstraintTeacherMaxGapsPerDay> (95-100% weight)
  • <ConstraintTeacherMaxGapsPerWeek> (95-100% weight)
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintTeacherMaxGapsPerDay>
  <Weight_Percentage>98</Weight_Percentage>
  <Teacher_Name>Verdi Giuseppe</Teacher_Name>
  <Max_Gaps>1</Max_Gaps>
</ConstraintTeacherMaxGapsPerDay>
<ConstraintTeacherMaxGapsPerWeek>
  <Weight_Percentage>95</Weight_Percentage>
  <Teacher_Name>Verdi Giuseppe</Teacher_Name>
  <Max_Gaps>2</Max_Gaps>
</ConstraintTeacherMaxGapsPerWeek>

D. Daily Minimum and Maximum Teaching Limits

  • Eurario Interface: Timetable Settings → Max daily teaching hours and Min hours on working days.
  • FET XML Tags:
  • <ConstraintTeacherMaxHoursDaily>: Limits daily teaching load to 4 or 5 hours.
  • <ConstraintTeacherMinHoursDaily>: Enforces a minimum of 2 hours on active days to prevent uneconomic trips for a single lecture.
  • <ConstraintTeacherMaxSpanPerDay>: Caps the overall daily span between the first and last period on campus.

3. Student & Class Time Constraints

A. Compact Student Timetables (Zero Gap Hours)

  • Eurario Interface: Active by default for all student classes.
  • FET XML Tags:
  • <ConstraintStudentsMaxGapsPerDay>: <Max_Gaps>0</Max_Gaps> (100% weight)
  • <ConstraintStudentsMaxGapsPerWeek>: <Max_Gaps>0</Max_Gaps> (100% weight)
  • Solver Effect: Strictly guarantees that students never have unsupervised idle gaps between classes.

B. Delayed Starts at Second Period

  • Eurario Interface: School Settings → Maximum late starts per week.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintStudentsEarlyMaxBeginningsAtSecondHour>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintStudentsEarlyMaxBeginningsAtSecondHour>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Max_Beginnings_At_Second_Hour>0</Max_Beginnings_At_Second_Hour>
</ConstraintStudentsEarlyMaxBeginningsAtSecondHour>
  • Solver Effect: When set to 0, enforces that every class always begins its school day at period 1.

C. Recesses & School Breaks

  • Eurario Interface: Schedule Settings → Recess Intervals.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintBreakTimes>
  • Solver Effect: Bars any lesson from being scheduled during designated school-wide breaks.

4. Subject Constraints & Sub-Activity Splitting

A. Spacing Between Lessons of the Same Subject

  • Eurario Interface: Automatically compiled for every multi-block subject (e.g. 2+1+1).
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintMinDaysBetweenActivities>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintMinDaysBetweenActivities>
  <Weight_Percentage>98</Weight_Percentage>
  <Consecutive_If_Same_Day>true</Consecutive_If_Same_Day>
  <Number_of_Activities>3</Number_of_Activities>
  <Activity_Id>101</Activity_Id>
  <Activity_Id>102</Activity_Id>
  <Activity_Id>103</Activity_Id>
  <MinDays>1</MinDays>
</ConstraintMinDaysBetweenActivities>
  • Solver Effect: Distributes sub-activities across different days of the week, ensuring that if two activities ever fall on the same day, they must run consecutively (Consecutive_If_Same_Day=true).

B. Preferred Time Slots (Early vs Late Periods)

  • Eurario Interface: Subject Modal → Preferred Time Slot (PRIME, ULTIME, INDIFFERENTE).
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivitiesPreferredTimeSlots>
  • Configuration:
  • PRIME: Prioritizes periods 1, 2, and 3 (ideal for written tests, Mathematics, Latin).
  • ULTIME: Prioritizes period 4, 5, and afternoons (ideal for Physical Education, Arts, and Labs).

C. Afternoon Return Exclusions (no_rientri)

  • Eurario Interface: Subject Modal → Exclude from Afternoon Sessions.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivitiesPreferredTimeSlots> configured with strict prohibitions against afternoon periods (7th and 8th hour).

D. Manually Pinned / Locked Activities

  • Eurario Interface: Lock icon on timetable grid.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivityPreferredStartingTime> (100% weight). Permanently fixes the day and period.

E. End-of-Day Activities (Fortnightly / Asymmetric Classes)

  • Eurario Interface: Allocation Settings → Place at End of Day.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivityEndsStudentsDay>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintActivityEndsStudentsDay>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Activity_Id>412</Activity_Id>
  <Active>true</Active>
</ConstraintActivityEndsStudentsDay>
  • FET Manual Application: Recommended by the official FET manual for bi-weekly / alternating classes, ensuring that during the off-week when the lesson does not meet, students simply dismiss early rather than enduring an idle midday gap.

F. Pedagogical Consecutiveness (Theory + Lab Co-Teaching)

  • Eurario Interface: Allocation Modal → Link in Direct Consecutiveness.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintTwoActivitiesConsecutive>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintTwoActivitiesConsecutive>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <First_Activity_Id>101</First_Activity_Id>
  <Second_Activity_Id>102</Second_Activity_Id>
  <Active>true</Active>
</ConstraintTwoActivitiesConsecutive>
  • FET Manual Application: Mandates that the second activity (e.g. practical lab) is scheduled on the same day immediately following the first (theory), with zero intervening gaps (recess permitted).

G. Grouped Activities on the Same Day (Flexible Order)

  • Eurario Interface: Allocation Modal → Group on Same Day.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintTwoActivitiesGrouped>
  • FET Manual Application: Activities must take place on the same day without gaps, but without restricting which one precedes the other, greatly easing solver workload.

H. Weekly Chronological Ordering

  • Eurario Interface: Allocation Modal → Weekly Ordering (A before B).
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintTwoActivitiesOrdered>
  • FET Manual Application: Ensures that theoretical lecture periods occur earlier in the calendar week (Mon/Tue) before hands-on testing or review sessions (Thu/Fri).

I. Time Synchronization for Options, Articulated Groups & Meetings

  • Eurario Interface: Group Modal → Synchronize Start Time.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivitySameStartingTime>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintActivitySameStartingTime>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <First_Activity_Id>201</First_Activity_Id>
  <Second_Activity_Id>202</Second_Activity_Id>
  <Active>true</Active>
</ConstraintActivitySameStartingTime>
  • FET Manual Application: Applied to parallel split groups (e.g. French and Spanish tracks) and faculty assembly meetings (pseudo-activities with teachers only).

J. Minimum Overnight Rest (Day & Evening Shifts)

  • Eurario Interface: Teacher Modal → Minimum Overnight Rest.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintTeacherMinRestingHours>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintTeacherMinRestingHours>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Teacher_Name>Romani Elena</Teacher_Name>
  <Min_Resting_Hours>11</Min_Resting_Hours>
</ConstraintTeacherMinRestingHours>
  • FET Manual Application: Prevents an instructor finishing an evening shift at 22:00 from being scheduled for early morning classes (\(08:00 - 10:00\)) the following day.

K. Maximum Simultaneous Activities on Shared Resources

  • Eurario Interface: Resource Constraints → Max Simultaneous by Tag.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivitiesMaxSimultaneousInSelectedTimeSlots>
  • FET Manual Application: Caps the number of activities bearing a given tag (e.g. GYM_COURT or EXTERNAL_VISIT) active at any single period across the school week.

5. Spatial & Multi-Building Constraints (Space_Constraints_List)

A. Home Room Assignment

  • Eurario Interface: Class Modal → Home Room.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintStudentsSetHomeRoom>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintStudentsSetHomeRoom>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Students>3A</Students>
  <Room>Room 204</Room>
</ConstraintStudentsSetHomeRoom>

B. Shared Labs & Gymnasiums

  • Eurario Interface: Allocation Modal → Laboratory / Gymnasium.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivityPreferredRooms>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintActivityPreferredRooms>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Activity_Id>205</Activity_Id>
  <Number_of_Preferred_Rooms>1</Number_of_Preferred_Rooms>
  <Preferred_Room>Comp_Lab_1</Preferred_Room>
</ConstraintActivityPreferredRooms>

C. Commuting Between Campuses (Main & Branch)

  • Eurario Interface: Campus Settings & Travel Times.
  • FET XML Tags:
  • <ConstraintTeachersMaxBuildingChangesPerDay>: Caps campus changes per day (typically max 1).
  • <ConstraintTeachersMaxBuildingChangesPerWeek>: Caps campus changes across the entire week (typically max 2 or 3).
  • <ConstraintTeachersMinGapsBetweenBuildingChanges>: Enforces a required travel gap (e.g. 1 free hour) between lessons held in different buildings.

D. Classroom Stability for Consecutive Lessons

  • Eurario Interface: Room Settings → Same Room If Consecutive.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintActivitiesSameRoomIfConsecutive>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintActivitiesSameRoomIfConsecutive>
  <Weight_Percentage>100</Weight_Percentage>
  <Active>true</Active>
</ConstraintActivitiesSameRoomIfConsecutive>
  • FET Manual Application: Prevents room relocations when successive lessons share the same students or instructor.

E. Reducing Student Room Nomadism (Daily Room Cap)

  • Eurario Interface: Class Settings → Max Different Rooms per Day.
  • FET XML Tag: <ConstraintStudentsSetMaxDifferentRoomsPerDay>
  • Generated XML: 
    <ConstraintStudentsSetMaxDifferentRoomsPerDay>
  <Weight_Percentage>95</Weight_Percentage>
  <Students>1A</Students>
  <Max_Different_Rooms>2</Max_Different_Rooms>
</ConstraintStudentsSetMaxDifferentRoomsPerDay>
  • FET Manual Application: Limits a student cohort to occupying at most 2 distinct physical rooms in a single school day (their home room plus at most one lab or gym session).

6. Output Comparison: Raw FET vs Eurario

Official desktop graphical interface of the FET solver engine
Figure 4.1: Official desktop user interface of FET, featuring menus for time constraints, space constraints, and schedule computation.
Capability Raw Native FET Output Eurario Experience
Assignment Overview Fragmented atomic sub-activities Unified view per teacher and class with compact block badges
Multi-Campus Logistics Textual warning logs Colored badges for Central/Branch with commuting alerts
On-Duty & Substitutes Unsupported (requires dummy activities) Dedicated greedy gap-filling and substitute balancing engine
Post-Solve Adjustments Full recalculation required Interactive Drag & Drop grid with real-time collision checks
Master Outputs Raw static HTML tables Word (.docx) A3 Landscape (Procedura 12) & typographic PDFs