Get Started
Want to solve a problem written in Mosel? Let us guide you through it.
Our section on solving your first problem has all the instructions you need to get up and running. After going through this, you’ll have:
- downloaded the Engine for Windows
- installed the Engine on Windows
Whether Mosel is your preferred modelling language or you would like to try it out, you’ll be able to start solving with the Engine soon.
Step 1: Download and Install FICO Xpress
To get started, go to the FICO Xpress Community Licence page and complete the form on the right-hand side. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be redirected to a page where you can download the executable for Windows. Follow the instructions on the installation wizard to install both the solver (FICO Xpress) and the language (Mosel) on your PC.
Step 2: Write a Model in Mosel
To do this, you can either open text editor (Notepad, Notepad ++, etc.) or FICO Xpress Workbench. In this tutorial, we’ll use text editor. Copy and paste the snippet below to create a model with defined variable bounds, an objective function and a constraint. Save the model as .mos. In this tutorial, we’ll save it as my_example.mos
model "test - NL version"
uses "nlsolv"
parameters
SOLVER="octeract-engine"
SOLVERPATH=""
SOLVEROPTIONS=""
end-parameters
declarations
RN = 1..5
x: array(RN) of mpvar ! Decision variables
Obj: nlctr ! Objective function
Con: nlctr ! Constraint function
end-declarations
forall(i in RN) x(i) is_free
! Variable bounds
forall(i in RN) x(i) >= 0
forall(i in RN) x(i) <= 1
! Objective
Obj:= 42*x(1) - 0.5*(100*x(1)*x(1) + 100*x(2)*x(2) +
100*x(3)*x(3) + 100*x(4)*x(4) + 100*x(5)*x(5)) + 44*x(2) +
45*x(3) + 47*x(4) + 47.5*x(5)
! Constraint
Con:= 20*x(1) + 12*x(2) + 11*x(3) + 7*x(4) + 4*x(5) <= 40
! Configuration of the solver
setparam("nl_verbose", true)
setparam("nl_solver", SOLVER)
if SOLVERPATH<>"" then
setparam("nl_solverpath", SOLVERPATH)
end-if
if SOLVEROPTIONS<>"" then
setparam("nl_options", SOLVEROPTIONS)
end-if
! Solve the problem
minimise(Obj)
! Solution reporting
if getprobstat<>NL_OPT and getprobstat<>NL_UNF then
writeln("No solution available. Solver status: ", getparam("NL_STATUS"))
else
writeln("Solution: ", getobjval)
forall(j in RN)
writeln(strfmt(getsol(x(j)),10,5))
end-if
end-model
Step 3: Solve the Model
Open a PowerShell session. Navigate to where Mosel and Xpress were installed on your PC. This should be in the bin folder. In this tutorial, the path is C:\Users\emmel\xpressmp\bin. Run the command in the snippet below, including the path where you’ve saved the .mos file on your PC. In this tutorial, the path is C:\Users\emmel\Documents\my_example.mos. The problem will be processed and the solution displayed in PowerShell.
mosel exec '..\..\Documents\my_example.mos'
========================================
Octeract Engine v1.07.29
Copyright (c) Octeract Ltd, 2020
========================================
Loading problem...
Preprocessing problem... 100% complete
Presolve time : 0.11s
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iteration GAP LLB BUB Pool Time Mem
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 1.254e-08 ( 0.00%) -1.700e+01 -1.700e+01 7 0.2s 23.0MB
Objective value at global solution: -1.700e+01
Solved_To_Global_Optimality
Solution file written to: C:\Users\emmel\AppData\Local\Temp\\nl_1fe2552bdb0.octsol
Solved_To_Global_Optimality
Solution: -16.99999999The full solution is written and stored in a file. This can be located on your PC by using the path in the “Solution file written to” line. In this example, the path is C:\Users\emmel\AppData\Local\Temp\. From there, you’ll be able to find the solution file (.octsol) and open it in text editor. This will allow you to view a more detailed version of the solution.