Integration With PHP based framework(laravel)

[Azr23]

Hello, I’m working on a course scheduling project using Laravel (PHP-based framework) and I’d like to integrate UniTime's timetabling functionality. Since UniTime is Java-based, is there any recommended approach to interact with UniTime’s solver or backend logic from a PHP/Laravel application?
Thankyou Very Much!

[tomas-muller]

There is no recommended approach. Most of the integration is usually done through moving data in and out of UniTime, e.g., using our XML interfaces, APIs, or directly accessing the database.

There is also the option of using just the UniTime solver (see github.com/uniTime/cpsolver), which can also be used from the command line. I do not know if there is something like Python's JNI for PHP.

[Azr23]

Thank you very much for your response. After considering the options, I think I will focus on using CPSolver only, since what I need is mainly the course timetabling functionality. I’m planning to build my own user interface using Laravel, so using the solver separately seems to fit my needs better.

If available, I’d really appreciate any documentation or example usage of CPSolver (especially standard input/output format and how to run it from the command line).

Thanks again for your support — it’s very helpful!

[tomas-muller]

You can see more details at unitime.org/cpsolver_examples.php, University Course Timetabling section. The course timetabling solver can be run using the following command line:

java -Xmx2g -cp cpsolver-1.4.74.jar org.cpsolver.coursett.Test solver.cfg instance.xml output-dir

You can export the solver configuration from UniTime, using the Export button on the Administration > Solver > Configurations page. The solver data can be exported using the Export XML button on the Course Timetabling Solver page, see help.unitime.org/exporting-solver-xml for more details.

[Azr23]

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation and the links!
I really appreciate your guidance. I’ll look into the course timetabling example and start testing the CPSolver with the exported configuration and XML instance.
Thanks again for your time and support!

[Muhammadazrial]

Dear @tomas-muller,

Thank you again for your previous responses and support.

As a continuation of our discussion regarding the timetable XML input, I’ve been testing with a minimal example on laravel, but I'm still encountering an error when loading it using cpsolver-1.4.74.jar.

Here is the simplified XML file:

And the solver returns this error:
java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "org.dom4j.Element.elements(String)" because the return value of "org.dom4j.Element.element(String)" is null
at org.cpsolver.coursett.TimetableXMLLoader.doLoad(TimetableXMLLoader.java:662)
From the stack trace, I suspect that some required XML section may be missing (e.g., offerings/configs/subparts?). Could you please confirm what minimum elements are expected by the loader?

I apologize if this was already covered or if I missed something in the documentation, and I greatly appreciate your help and time.

[tomas-muller]

Looking at the exception, the code expects the "groupConstraints" element, even when it is empty (there are no group/distribution constraints provided). So, within the timetable element, just add <groupConstraints/>. You will also likely need to do the same for students (adding <students/> element at the very least).