Parameters Variation not running model in AnyLogic - anylogic

When I create a ParametersVariation simulation, the main model does not run. All I see is the default UI with iterations completed and replication. My end goal (as with most people) is to have a model go through a certain number of replications, but nothing is even running. There is limited documentation available on this. Please advise.

This is how Parameters Variation is intended to work. If you're running 1000 runs and multiple replications with parallel runs, how can you see what's happening in Main in each?
Typically, the best way to benefit from such an experiment is to track the results of each run using elements from the Analysis palette or even better to export results to Excel or similar.
To be able to collect data, you need to write your code in Java actions fields with root. to access elements in main (or top-level agent).
Check the example below, where after each run a variable from main is added to a dataset in the Parameters Variation experiment. At the end of 100 runs for example, the dataset will have 100 values of the main variable, with 1 value for each run.

Related

Batching multiple agents based on location of agent

In my model I only want to batch agent which are at the same location. So my source block generates the agents according to a database to a specific node (which is sometimes different for agents), now I want the agents that occur at the same node to batch in sizes of 2 and the one that are left over need to be batched alone.
How can I model this, I know that I can use the selectoutput (which says for example if location=node1 use this output etc) option, but do I than have to add for example manually 100 outputs if I've 100 different locations where the agents start or is there a more simple solution for this problem?
Added later:
Or is there another way to model my idea:
So I'm simulating an hospital environment, where logistic employees (in this case the transporter) based on predefined times collects the thrash on certain areas for example the databaserow I show in the picture below:
At 9:50, the thrash at thrash collection point at LAB_Office_2_H_T_N can be collected by the logistic employee.
So in my model I create this 2 agents (which are 2 containers, last column) based on this time and seize a transporter to collect this thrash. Since a logistic employee is able to collect 2 thrash in one time I want to batch it and let the logistic employee collect 2 thrash containers at once.
After that he transports it to the thrash dump area and is released.
The colors changed after the added information. You can use pickup and dropoff blocks instead. You can define your node requirements in the condition cell. You can use local variables like container and agent to code whatever you want. Or use "Quantity (if available)" option. There you can programmatically define how many units will be picked up by using your own function.

Parameter Variation: Tracking the Metadata

I am trying to use parameter variation in AnyLogic. My inputs are 3 parameters, each varying 5 times. My output is water demand. What I need from parameter variation is the way in which demand changes according to the different combinations of the three parameters. I imagine something like: there are 10,950 rows (one for each day), the first column is time (in days), the second column are the values for the first combination, the second column is the second combination, and so on and so forth. What would be the best way to track this metadata to then be able to export it to excel? I have added a "dataset" to my main to track demand through each simulation, but I am not sure what to add to the parameter variation experiment interface to track the output across the different iterations. It would also be helpful to have a way to know which combination of inputs produced a given output (for example, have the combination be the name for each column). I see that there are Java Actions, but I haven't been able to figure out the code to do what I need. I appreciate any help with this matter.
The easiest approach is just to track this in output database tables which are then exported to Excel at the end of your run. As long as these tables include outputs from multiple runs (and are, for example, only cleared at the start of the experiment not the run), your Parameter Variation experiment will end up with an Excel file having outcomes from all the runs. (You will probably need to turn off parallel execution in the PV experiment so you don't run into issues trying to write to the same Excel file in parallel.)
So, for example, you might have tables:
run_details with columns id, parm1, parm2 and parm3 (with proper column names given your actual parameters and some unique ID generated for each run)
output_demand with columns run_id, sim_time_hrs and demand_value (if, say, you're storing some demand value each hour of simulated time) where run_id cross-references the run's ID in run_details
(There is extra complexity in how you could allocate a unique run ID and how and when you write to/clear those tables, but I'm just presenting the core design. You can also get round the need-serial-execution point by programmatically controlling when you export to Excel, rather than using the built-in "Export tables at the end of model execution" capability, but that's also more complicated.)

Writing different experiment output run to different cells in a sheet (Excel file)

I am simultaneously running a model with different input values and it is producing different output on each run. I am trying to create a code that will get anylogic to wright each experiment output run in a different cell in excel sheet i.e. throughput Vs. Time. I am using dataset. Wondering If there is any script or hint can help in solving the issue?
Currently I am using the following commands. They keep overwriting the output using the same cells.
Out_excelFile1.setCellValue("Sink1 Out",2,2,2);
Out_excelFile1.writeDataSet(Sink1_D,2,3,2);
Best if you actually use the build-in database for outputs and only write to Excel at the end of all runs, tbh.
But in your case, you need to change the row number by your replication/iteration number. Use getCurrentIteration() or getCurrentReplication() in your "after simulation run" or "after replication" or "after iteration" experiment code sections to get this right.
Then, it would look something like Out_excelFile1.setCellValue("Sink1 Out",2,getCurrentIteration(),2);
(Details depend on your actual implementation, check the help for further info on replications, iterations and those functions)

How to combinate runs of two different agents with multiple runs each one

I need to create a methode (or similar) which reads the runs of two agents and combinate them into one run.
Each agent has data base which contains multible parameters and each paramter has multible values, a value for each parameter for each run.
so how can I let the project run all these different alternatives and get me the different outputs for the combinations?
Create a param-variation experiment and have 1 boolean parameter on Main "runFirstAgent". Setup your model to only load the first agent if runFirstAgent== true, otherwise let it run the second agent.
In the Param-variation experiment, setup the runs so it varies runFirstAgent accordingly.
Then, you can accumulate results from your runs in the experiment itself.
There are lots of example models that show you how to do it, check those out first ;-)

matlab distributed computing with sge(qsub)

Recently I got access to run my codes on a cluster. My code is totally paralleizable but I don't know how to best use its parallel nature. I've to compute elements of a big matrix and each of them are independent of the others. I want to submit the job to run on several machine (like 100) to speed up the computation of the matrix.
Right now, I wrote a script to submit multiple jobs each responsible to compute a part of the matrix and save it in a .mat file. At the end I'm merging them to get the whole matrix. For submitting each individual job, I've created a new .m file (run1.m, run.2, ...) to set a variable and then run the function to compute the associated part in the matrix. So basically run1.m is
id=1;compute_dists_matrix
and then compute_dists_matrix uses id to find the part it is going to compute. Then I wrote a script to create run1.m through run60.m and the qsub them to the cluster.
I wonder if there is a better way to do this using some MATLAB features for example. Because this seems to be a very typical task.
Yes, it works, but is not ideal, and as you say is a common problem. Matlab has a parallel programming toolkit.
Does your cluster have this? If so, the distributed arrays is worth having a look at. If they don't have access to it, then what you are doing is the only other way. You can wrap your run1.m,run2.m in a controlling script to automate it for you...
I believe you could use command line arguments for the id and submit jobs with a range of values for this id. Command line arguments can be processed by launching MATLAB from the command line without the IDE and providing the name of the script to be executed and the list of arguments. I would think you can set up dependencies in your job manager and create a "reduce" script to merge the partial results (from files). The whole process could be managed from a single script that would generate the id & other necessary arguments and submit the processing & postprocessing jobs with dependencies.