Auto Generate / Manually Assign · TPlus Class Manual

9.1 Right Click Function

Right clicking a section in the Timetable Output opens a context menu holding most of the actions used while generating and editing the timetable. Items shown in grey are unavailable for the section currently selected, and items with an arrow open a further submenu.

Right click context menu on a section in the Timetable Output — **Figure 9.1.1:** Right Click Function

Menu Item	Description
Auto Generate from this Location	Starts automatic generation beginning from the selected slot.
Highlight	Highlights related sections. See Section 9.5.4.
Section Lock/Unlock	Locks or unlocks the selected section. See Section 9.5.2.
Section Output	Controls how the section appears in the Timetable Output.
Section Include/Exclude	Includes or excludes the section from generation. See Section 9.2.
Section Priority	Sets the generation priority of the section.
Section Info	Displays information about the selected section.
Section Properties	Opens the Section Properties window for the section. See Section 6.2.2.
Update Capacity to Number of Students	Sets the section capacity to match its enrolled student count.
Move to Group	Moves the section into another group.
Move to Group by Class Type	Moves the section into a group according to its class type.
Remove Section Slot Assignment	Removes the section from the slot it currently occupies.
Tracing	Traces why the section was placed as it was.
Group Actions	Performs an action on the whole group rather than one section.
Auto Assign Lecturer	Assigns a lecturer to the section automatically.
Reorder Class Numbering	Renumbers the classes in the group.
Rename Group	Changes the name of the group.
Student Information System	Opens the Student Information System for the section.
Data Entry	Opens the data entry options for the section. See Chapter 6.
Manual Merge Section	Merges the selected sections manually.
Manage Students	Opens the student assignment window for the section.
Constraint	Opens the constraint settings for the section. See Chapter 7.
Print Preview	Previews the section before printing. See Section 9.6.
Cut	Removes the section, ready to be pasted elsewhere.
Copy	Copies the selected section.
Paste	Pastes the cut or copied section into the selected slot.
Delete	Deletes the selected section.
Locate Section	Locates the section in the tree or course list. See Section 9.5.5.

Table 9.1: Right Click Function Menu Items

Note: Section Info, Section Properties, Manual Merge Section, Manage Students, Print Preview and Paste appear greyed out when the current selection does not support them, for example, Paste is only available once a section has been cut or copied.

9.2 Include / Exclude (Section)

Include / Exclude (Section) decides which sections the generator may place. An included section takes part in generation; an excluded section is skipped and left unassigned.

Use it to generate in stages. Whatever runs first gets the widest choice of slots, so place the hardest sections first:

Sections with constraints: fixed to a certain room, day or time range. See Section 7.1 General Constraint.
Merge groups: need one room big enough for the combined size. See Section 6.2.3 Merge Class.
Same time groups: must all be placed in the same slot. See Section 6.2.4 Same Time Class.
Sections with lecturer constraints: limited to the lecturer's available days or hours. See Section 7.2 Lecturer Constraint.

Step 1: Exclude all sections, then include only the hard ones listed above.

Step 2: Run the generator.

Step 3: Include the rest and generate again. Sections already placed stay where they are.

Note: Excluding a section does not delete it or change its data. It only tells the generator to ignore the section for now, and it can be included again at any time.

9.3 Include / Exclude (Slot)

Include / Exclude (Slot) controls the slots themselves rather than the sections. An excluded slot is closed off (the generator will not place any section in it) and it is shown in black in the Timetable Output. Use it to keep rooms or times free, for example a room under maintenance or an hour reserved for another activity.

Right click any slot and open Exclude Slot. The submenu offers six options, each covering a wider area than the one before it, all measured from the slot you right clicked.

Exclude in the Slot

Excludes only the slot you right clicked: that one room, at that one time, on that day. Every other slot is left untouched.

A single slot shown in black after being excluded — **Figure 9.3.2:** Result of Exclude in the Slot

Exclude all in the Room

Excludes every time slot of the selected room for that day, so the whole row for that room is closed off.

The full row for one room shown in black after being excluded — **Figure 9.3.4:** Result of Exclude all in the Room

Exclude all in the Time Slot

Excludes the selected time slot in every room for that day, so the whole column for that hour is closed off.

The full column for one time slot shown in black after being excluded — **Figure 9.3.6:** Result of Exclude all in the Time Slot

Exclude all in the Time Slot and After

Excludes the selected time slot and every later time slot on the same day only, in every room. For example, excluding slot 202 closes that slot and everything after it until the end of that day, while the following days stay available as usual. Use it to stop scheduling from a certain hour onwards, such as after a certain time in the afternoon.

All columns from the selected time slot onwards shown in black — **Figure 9.3.8:** Result of Exclude all in the Time Slot and After

Exclude All in the Day

Excludes every slot on the day currently shown, in every room and at every hour. Use it for a day with no classes, such as a public holiday.

The entire grid for one day shown in black — **Figure 9.3.10:** Result of Exclude All in the Day

Exclude All

Excludes every slot on every day. Switching between the day tabs shows that each one is closed off. This is normally used as a starting point: close everything first, then include back only the slots you want the generator to use.

Monday fully excluded after Exclude All — **Figure 9.3.12:** Result of Exclude All (Monday)

Tuesday also fully excluded after Exclude All — **Figure 9.3.13:** Result of Exclude All (Tuesday)

Note: Include Slot, directly below Exclude Slot in the same right click menu, reverses the exclusion using the matching set of options. Excluding a slot does not delete anything already placed in it; it only stops the generator from using that slot.

9.4 Auto Generate

Auto Generate lets the system build the timetable for you. It takes every section that is included, finds a slot and a room for each one, and places it without breaking the constraints you have set.

Before running it, make sure the earlier chapters have been completed in order: Database, Timetable Structure, Data Entry, Constraint and Pre-Generate Analysis. The database must hold the courses, rooms, lecturers and batches; the teaching days, time slots and breaks must be set; every section needs a lecturer, room type, class size and duration; the constraints must be applied; and the lists should be checked so missing records and capacity problems are fixed first.

9.4.1 Generate Button

Step 1: Open the Timetable Output tab and click the Generate Schedule icon on the toolbar.

Generate Schedule icon on the toolbar above the empty Timetable Output grid — **Figure 9.4.1.1:** Generate Schedule Icon

Step 2: The Generate Schedule window appears. Choose a Generate Quality and a Generate Order, then click Ok, or Cancel to close without generating.

Generate Schedule window showing the Generate Quality and Generate Order options — **Figure 9.4.1.2:** Generate Schedule Options

Generate Quality sets how hard the generator works on the result. A higher setting gives a better timetable but takes longer.

Option	Description
Fast (Less Optimize)	Quickest run. Use it for a first attempt or a quick check.
Average	A balance between speed and quality.
Intensive (Higher Optimization but Slow)	Best result, but the slowest to finish. Use it for the final run.
Custom (1 - 200)	Set the optimisation level yourself in the box next to it. A higher number means more optimisation and a longer run.

Table 9.4.1: Generate Quality Options

Generate Order sets which sections the generator places first.

Option	Description
Depth First	Places all sections, working through them one branch at a time.
Apply Priority Scheduling	Under Depth First. Follows the priority set on each section, so higher priority sections are placed first.
Ignore Priority	Under Depth First. Treats every section the same and ignores the priority setting.
High Priority Sections Only	Places only the sections marked as high priority and leaves the rest unassigned.

Table 9.4.2: Generate Order Options

Step 3: Wait for the Processing... progress bar to finish, or click Cancel to stop the run.

Progress bar showing the Processing status during generation — **Figure 9.4.1.3:** Generation in Progress

Step 4: When the run finishes, the placed sections appear in the Timetable Output grid. The Section Status Summary panel on the left lists the sections that were left Not Assigned.

Timetable Output filled with the generated sections and the Section Status Summary panel — **Figure 9.4.1.4:** Timetable After Generation

Step 5: To see why a section was not placed, open the Reports tab and select the Failure sub-tab. Each row shows the Code, Course Name, Section and the Reason of Failure, for example Cannot find room with suitable capacity or All qualified slots are occupied. Fix the data or loosen the constraint, then run the generator again.

Reports tab with the Failure sub-tab listing the unplaced sections and the reason for each — **Figure 9.4.1.5:** Failure Report

9.4.2 Generate Quality or Order

To be written

Choosing between quality-led and order-led generation

**Figure 9.4.2.1:** Generate Quality or Order

9.4.3 Failure Reasons

To be written

Why a section could not be placed

9.4.4 Failure & Report

To be written

Reading the generation failure report

9.4.5 Hide / Show Output

To be written

Controlling what the output view displays

9.5 Manually Assign

To be written

Placing and adjusting sections by hand on the workspace

9.5.1 Add / Remove Course

To be written

Placing a course into a slot and taking it out again

9.5.2 Lock / Unlock

To be written

Locking finalised placements so the generator cannot move them

9.5.3 Exclude / Include

To be written

Excluding a placement from generation

9.5.4 Highlight

To be written

Highlighting by batch or by student

9.5.5 Locate Section

To be written

Finding where a section sits in the workspace

9.6 Print and Preview

To be written

Previewing and printing the generated timetable