[Os-project-managers] Consent agenda item

[R. Kipp Martin]

Hi Gus:
>
> We currently have a class OSnl2osil in files OSnl2osil.cpp and
> OSnl2osil.h. Its purpose is to read a .nl file and to pull out the
> instance information. However, as we have seen, the .nl file also
> contains bits and pieces that we would classify as options. ASL gives us
> only very limited access through its API, so we have to parse the entire
> .nl file to get at any piece of it. We therefore have to pull the
> OSOption bits out simultaneously with the OSInstance pieces. (Otherwise
> the time may kill us on a large problem.)
>
> I propose to define a new class nl2OS _inside_ the same OSnl2osil.cpp/.h
> files. This class would inherit from OSnl2osil, and so everything would
> be backwards compatible. It would also make the code development easier.
>
> Is this reasonable? Please feel free to consent/object/discuss.

A few thoughts:

1) I definitely agree we should not do two separate reads of the nl 
file, one for the instance and one for the options

2) To be honest, I think it is misleading to have the OSnl2osil have 
"hidden" code that also creates an OSOption object. Also, the 
inheritance seems odd and awkward. The class OSnl2osil creates osil from 
nl.  To have a class that inherits from this that either creates osil 
and osol or just osol does not make any sense to me.

3) I would like to propose the following alternative:

a) keep OSnl2osil.cpp and OSnl2osil.h exactly as is. This will be legacy 
code that may or may not get deleted at some future point. I don't think 
this is an uncommon practice.

b) create a new class OSnl2OS that reads the nl file once and pulls out 
the instance and the options. Of course we can cut and paste any code we 
want from OSnl2osil here.

c) we modify OSAmlClient to use OSnl2OS.

With the above changes then we are completely backward compatible, keep 
all the old functionality and have new and improved functionality.

Cheers




-- 
Kipp Martin
Professor of Operations Research
and Computing Technology
Booth School of Business
University of Chicago
5807 South Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-7456
kmartin at chicagobooth.edu
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/bio.aspx?person_id=12825325568
http://projects.coin-or.org/OS

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