REDOSPLAT: A readable domain-specific language for timetabling requirements definition

Automatic creation of school timetables is a complex problem when it involves defining specific constraints and requirements. This paper presents a domain-specific language called REDOSPLAT which supports such definitions in a readable format. REDOSPLAT can be used when timetable programs with a graphical user interface are limited or too cluttered to express specific domain features. It uses customised, readable notation instead of technically oriented data formats which are usually used in timetable problems. The desired timetabling requirements are defined using sentences whose syntax is close to the syntax of spoken language. This paper encompasses the entire language syntax and semantics, the way a sentence is transformed into data structures which describe timetabling requirements, and the way the obtained data structures are transformed into models needed for different problem-solving algorithms. For the latter, REDOSPLAT is using integer linear programming to resolve the timetabling problem.