One of the goals of the Gecode/J project is to deliver a system that can be used to teach courses on constraint programming.
Why use Gecode/J?
Because of its- accessibility
- Ther conceptual barrier is low - all that your students need to know is some basic Java. Gecode/J provides a slightly higher level of abstraction than the C++ library, as you can for instance take advantage of Java's automatic memory management. And it is free, you can download, distribute, and adapt it in any way you like.
- comprehensiveness
- Gecode/J lifts many of Gecode's features to Java. You can use it just for modeling constraint problems, but you can also let your students implement propagators, branchings, and search engines in Java.
- tools
- The Gecode/J Graphical Interactive Search Tool Gist helps greatly in understanding the fundamental concepts of constraint propagation and search. Its companion, the Gecode/J Inspector, provides a standard output for solutions.
Courses on Constraint Programming Systems
Several courses at different universities have been given using Gecode/J:
You can find a lot of inspiration for your courses on these web sites.
Mailing list
There is a dedicated mailing list that you can subscribe to if you are using or plan to use Gecode/J for your course.