The constraint programming research community has accumulated a vast amount of experience in solving constraint satisfaction/optimisation problems. Unfortunately, applying constraint technology to a particular problem requires expertise in the technology, which many potential users do not have. The CACP project attempts to provide a system that encompasses the entire process of applying constraint technology. It supports the tasks of problem formulation and entry, in addition to supplying pre-written solvers and aiding the user in choosing which of the available algorithms to apply. Users may specify their problems using a declarative language. The problem specification is decoupled from the solvers, so the users may experiment with different problem formulations easily. Solvers supplied include a generalized Forward Checking solver, a Linear Programming solver and local search solvers implementing Guided Local Search, Tabu Search and Genetic Algorithms. A carefully designed interface is provided to guide users in understanding the technology.
More about this project can be found in the paper: |
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Demos for the CACP Project |
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This project was funded by EPSRC, reference GR/L20122, from 1st March 1997 to 31st August 2000.
Constraint Satisfaction Home Page |
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