[Coin-ipopt] TRON for Windows (Developer Studio)

[Andreas Waechter]

Hello,

I have been asked by a user who is working with IPOPT under Windows
(using the Developer Studio), how one can incorporate TRON in that
setting.

TRON is an optimization code for bound constrained problems, developed by
Jorge More at et, which is currently used in IPOPT to perform the
feasibility restoration phase in the filter line search procedure.  TRON
can be downloaded from Jorge More's web site (as usual, check the license
before using it). However, in order to use TRON within IPOPT, patches have
to be applied to it.  The Makefiles that are provided in the IPOPT
distribution are for UNIX-like platforms, and they usually take care of
applying the necessary patches automatically.

On Windows there is currently no means to do the modifications
automatically.  Due to license restrictions, we cannot provide the code
for TRON (modified or unmodified), or send it to you.  However, one way to
obtain the modified source code for TRON to be used under Windows, is to
simply compile the code in some UNIX environment (using the provided
Makefiles) and then to just use the source files available and created
there.  Note, that even if you have only a Windows machine available, you
can download CygWin (see COIN/Ipopt/doc/README.Windows), which is a
UNIX-environment for Windows, and you can create the TRON sources there
(and maybe even decide that you prefer CygWin over the Developer Studio
:).


Here is the list of the files that are necessary for the TRON library used
in IPOPT (assuming that the *_p.f file have been automatically created by
the IPOPT Makefiles):


COIN/Ipopt/OBJECTS/OTHERS/TRON/dcauchy_p.f
COIN/Ipopt/OBJECTS/OTHERS/TRON/dgpstep_p.f
COIN/Ipopt/OBJECTS/OTHERS/TRON/dprsrch_p.f
COIN/Ipopt/OBJECTS/OTHERS/TRON/dspcg_p.f
COIN/Ipopt/OBJECTS/OTHERS/TRON/dtron_p.f
COIN/Ipopt/OBJECTS/OTHERS/TRON/dtrpcg_p.f

COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/tron/dtrqsol.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/tron/dmid.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/tron/dgpnrm2.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/tron/dbreakpt.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/dicfs.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/dssyax.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/dstrsol.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/dicf.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/ihsort.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/insort.f
COIN/Ipopt/SOURCES/OTHERS/TRON/tron/src/icf/dsel2.f

(I hope I didn't forget any...)

In general, since I don't have access to a Developer Studio here, I cannot
provide "project" and "workspace" file that would define the compilation
instructions etc for the Developer Studio.  BUT:  If someone has
successfully compiled IPOPT using the Developer Studio and is willing to
share those definition files, I will be happy to include them into the
IPOPT distribution!!!!

Greetings,

Andreas

PS: So far, I have been the only one posting message to this mailing list,
but I again want to encourage people to post their questions there, in
particular if your alternative is to decide not to use IPOPT because
something doesn't work.  Also, don't refrain from sending a question
because you think it might be "silly" or "stupid" - it usually means that
the documentation is not clear or that there is a bug, and there might be
others who just run into the same problems as you do and will be greatful
to see an answer.  In addition, feedback on this mailing list is an
encouragement for us developers, since we see that there is actually
interest in this project, and where improvements or enhancements are
needed.