BALDES Command-line usage
Documentation index · Build configuration · Python
Commands below run from the repository root after building with --features clp.
./target/release/baldes solve instances/Solomon/R101.txt --customers 25 --rank1
./target/release/baldes solve instances/cvrplib/A-n32-k5.vrp --capacity-cuts
./target/release/baldes hgs instances/Solomon/R101.txt --population-size 50 --nb-iter 5000
Use solve for routing: Solomon inputs enforce time windows and service
times, while CVRPLIB inputs use capacity constraints. The input format is
detected from the content. Use solve INSTANCE --ignore-time-windows to
solve a Solomon instance as CVRP. The legacy vrptw and cvrp commands
remain available; cvrp always ignores time windows and service times.
The hgs command runs the Hybrid Genetic Search heuristic.
CVRPLIB instances have no time windows, so they are solved as cvrp. All routing
commands default to distances truncated to tenths (--rounding tenth). Use
--rounding none for unrounded Euclidean distances, --rounding nearest for
TSPLIB nint, or --rounding ceil for CEIL_2D. Explicit EDGE_WEIGHT_SECTION
matrices (full or triangular) retain their supplied weights. As for
Solomon files, the root fleet bound is the customer count. Route-length limits (DISTANCE) and service times are not supported. Run
./target/release/baldes --help for usage.
Options
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
--ignore-time-windows |
ignore time windows and service times with solve |
--customers N |
keep the first N customers |
--ng N |
NG neighbourhood size (default 8) |
--steps S or --steps TIME,CAPACITY |
Initial bucket widths in graph resource units (time, capacity). A single value applies to both; 0 selects automatic sizing (default). Dynamic refinement can decrease these widths. |
--reference-ng |
the N nearest customers, ties by index (the comparison setup) |
--rounding MODE |
distances none (unrounded), nearest, tenth or ceil (default: tenth) |
--cuts |
enable rank-one, capacity, k-path, knapsack (rounding/1K), and Fenchel cuts; also 2-path for models with time windows. Requires the integer-demand Fenchel configuration to be valid. |
--rank1 |
separate limited-memory rank-one cuts |
--clp-scaling MODE |
equilibrium (default), auto, geometric, or off |
--capacity / --capacity-cuts |
separate native rounded capacity cuts in the Clp root master |
--two-path-cuts |
enable capacity cuts with Kohl's time resource attached (VRPTW only) |
--tree |
run branch-and-price for integer routing |
--tree-threads N |
concurrent open-node evaluations; default 1, requires --tree for N > 1 |
--nodes N |
tree node limit (default 10,000) |
--branching MODE |
native (default), ryan-foster, vehicles, or arc |
--no-strong-branching |
use fractionality instead of phased strong branching |
--no-diving |
disable strong diving |
--no-mip-heuristic |
disable restricted-master integer search |
--mip-nodes N |
node budget per restricted-master integer-search call |
--enumerated-mip |
solve complete enumerated node masters with HiGHS; requires --tree and the highs feature |
--deluxing |
filter complete enumerated columns before MIP; enables --enumerated-mip, requires --tree and highs, conflicts with --no-enumeration |
--no-enumeration |
no reduced-cost fixing or enumeration |
--upper-bound X |
initial incumbent for fixing |
--no-stabilization |
no dual-price smoothing |
--master MODE |
clp (default), native ipm, highs, or gurobi; optional backends need their build features, and IPM disables stabilization |
--master-threads N |
HiGHS/Gurobi workers; default 0 uses available CPUs; Clp/IPM ignore this setting |
--bound-mode MODE |
numerical (default) uses pricing bounds with tolerances; certified requires independent original-domain bound validation |
--hgs-time S |
positive HGS search budget before routing solve; separate from --time |
--hgs-columns MODE |
best plan (default), all distinct feasible routes, or N cheapest new routes |
--dynamic-ng P |
strengthen NG memories from master cycles at separator priority P |
--option NAME=VALUE |
set a supported BALDES pricing option (repeatable) |
--verbose, -v, --log |
solver progress table on stderr, every 10 CG iterations |
--log-interval N |
enable progress every N CG iterations; N must be positive |
--iterations N |
master iteration limit |
--time S |
routing solve or standalone HGS time limit in seconds |
--json FILE |
write root LP/history or HGS solution results |
--population-size N |
HGS minimum population size (default: 25) |
--nb-iter N |
HGS iterations without improvement before stopping/restarting |
--seed N |
HGS random seed (default: 0) |
--help, -h |
show all CLI options, including tree controls |
Root Optimal means the LP relaxation converged; tree Optimal means the
integer routing gap closed within the configured tolerances. HGS supplies
feasible solutions without an optimality proof. Root LP route values can be
fractional, and NG routes can revisit customers.
Normal root and tree solves use numerical bounds and skip the full certificate
search. Use --bound-mode certified for independently validated bounds. That
mode attempts validation when an exact pass can close pricing or the incumbent
gap; failure leaves its selected bound unknown. Route-feasibility checks and
exact pricing remain enabled in both modes.
JSON reports bound_mode, the selected bound, and separate numerical_bound
and certified_bound fields. An unknown bound is null. A numerical estimate
never substitutes for an unknown certified bound. A tree result labels the
guarantee of its global bound; it does not report a global numerical estimate
in certified mode. Root results retain both estimates when available.
Solomon instances are in instances/, and a few CVRPLIB ones in
instances/cvrplib/.
Enable --verbose for an aligned progress table with the restricted-master
objective, selected lower bound, incumbent, gap, reduced cost, column counts,
current bucket step size (in resource order, separated by /), pricing phase,
and elapsed time. Bucket step changes are also printed between progress rows,
independently of the log interval. Use --log-interval 5 for more frequent output.
When cut families are enabled, the table also shows their current cut counts;
disabled families have no column.
For advanced routing, see the branch-and-price tree guide and enumerated MIP guide. Build instructions are in the build guide; benchmark results are in Root benchmarks.
For named pricing controls, see the BALDES option reference.
Public option names start with BALDES, for example
--option BALDESlabelDominanceStrategy=1. Rust exposes supported metadata in
OPTION_TABLE; Python exposes Solver.option_names() and
Solver.option_support(name). The public list contains 41 supported controls,
plus two enumerated-MIP controls when both clp and highs are enabled.
Scope can depend on the operation or configured cut family.