MiniZinc-server

• MiniZinc-server
  • Requirements
  • Getting Started
  • Using MiniZinc-server
    • / - Overview - Parameters - Sample Output
    • /models/<modelName>.json - Overview - Parameters

Requirements

• Python (>3.5)
• Pip
  • Should come pre-installed with Python 3.5.
• Flask
• Flask-Socketio
• Pymzn
• Minizinc
  • http://www.minizinc.org/software.html
  • Easiest method: grab the bundled binary package and add the folder to your environment variables/PATH.

Getting Started

1. Assuming you have python and pip installed, run the following two commands in your cmd/terminal window:
   • pip install flask
   • pip install flask-socketio
   • pip install pymzn
2. After you have the dependencies installed, in order for Flask to run it needs to know what the server file is called.
   • The environment variable FLASK_APP needs to be set. To do this:
     • Windows: set FLASK_APP=server.py
     • Mac OSX/Linux: export FLASK_APP=server.py
3. In your terminal window, run flask run to start the server.
4. The server should be hosted on port 5000, by default at http://localhost:5000.

Using MiniZinc-server

NOTE: The REST API is formatted a little bit weirdly at the moment (not akin to a real REST API) this will be fixed in the future).

The MiniZinc server solves certain MiniZinc files on the backend and returns the output. All the following URLs will be relative to the root URL, i.e. the REST api is accessed by appending certain URLs like /models/queens to localhost:5000.

.mzn model files must not have any output format defined, nor have any parameters with values set prior to being run by the server.

/models

Overview

Returns the MiniZinc model files available in the server.

Parameters

• No parameters.

Sample Output

{
  "models": [
    "queens.mzn",
    "schedule.mzn",
    "test.mzn",
    "test2.mzn"
  ]
}

/models/<modelName>

Overview

Returns the input arguments for the specified Minizinc model.

Parameters

• <modelName>: the name of the MiniZinc model (required).

Sample Output

{
  "capacity": "array(int)",
  "consumption": "array(int)",
  "nproducts": "int",
  "nresources": "int",
  "pname": "array(string)",
  "profit": "array(int)",
  "rname": "array(string)"
}

/solve/<modelName>

Overview

Solves the input MiniZinc model file in the backend and outputs in JSON. Add extra parameters by using ?<parameterName>=<result>.

E.g. localhost:5000/solve/exampleModel?arg1=ex1&arg2=ex2

Parameters

• <modelName>: the name of the MiniZinc model (required).

/stream/<modelName>

Overview

Solves the input MiniZinc model file in the backend and streams each solution as it comes.

Parameters

• <modelName>: the name of the MiniZinc model (required).
• n: number of Queens to solve. (only applicable to Queens at the moment). (required)