First steps with the IDE

Briefly describes how to begin working with an OPL model in the IDE, after the IDE has been installed and launched.

  1. To work with a model in the IDE, you must first create a project. The model and associated data are added to the project.
  2. You create a model with the OPL modeling language in the editing area of the IDE. You then save the OPL code in a file with the extension .mod.
  3. Usually, you create a data file in the IDE, and save the data in a file with the extension .dat. You can also have a simple model with the data inside the model.
  4. Before executing a model, you need to create a run configuration, and add a model and data file to the run configuration. You then use the run command on a run configuration. If you want to test a model with different data files, you need to create a run configuration for each combination of model + data.
  5. You can also add an optional settings file to a project, or to a run configuration. If you change the default values of settings, the new, user-defined, values are stored in the settings file with the extension .ops.

Summary

A project file and a run configuration are mandatory. A model is contained in a run configuration. It is the run configuration that is executed. A project can contain several run configurations. Data files and settings files are optional.

Note that many examples of projects with models and data files can be found in your installation directory, for example:

C:\Program Files\IBM\ILOG\CPLEX_Studio<version>\opl\examples\opl

In this document, we will use a distributed example of an OPL project called 'production'. Here you can see the project structure in the IDE.

Project structure in the IDE of the OPL project named 'production'.

The 'production' project contains two model files and three data files. These files are used in three different run configurations: Basic Configuration, Named data, and Tuples. The comment next to the project name indicates that the problem to be solved uses Mixed-Integer Linear Programming. The models will call the CPLEX® solving engine.