NAME

Algorithm::BinPack - efficiently pack items into bins

SYNOPSIS

Algorithm::BinPack efficiently packs items into bins. The bins are given a maximum size, and the items are packed in with as little empty space as possible. An example use would be packing files onto CDs, and you want to use as few CDs as possible.

my $bp = Algorithm::BinPack->new(binsize => 4);

$bp->add_item(label => "one",   size => 1);
$bp->add_item(label => "two",   size => 2);
$bp->add_item(label => "three", size => 3);
$bp->add_item(label => "four",  size => 4);

for ($bp->pack_bins) {
    print "Bin size: ", $_->{size},  "\n";
    print "  Item: ",   $_->{label}, "\n" for @{ $_->{items} };
}

METHODS

new

Creates a new Algorithm::BinPack object. The maximum bin size is specified as a named argument 'binsize', and is required. A fudge factor may be specified as a named argument 'fudge'. If a fudge factor is specified, any items' sizes will be rounded up to a number divisible by the fudge factor. This can help keep items with similar sizes in order by their labels.

my $bp = Algorithm::BinPack->new(binsize => 4);
my $bp = Algorithm::BinPack->new(binsize => 100, fudge => 10);

add_item

Adds an item to be packed into a bin. Required named arguments are 'label' and 'size', but any others can be specified, and will be saved.

$bp->add_item(label => 'one', size => 1);
$bp->add_item(label => 'two', size => 2, desc => 'The second numeral');
$bp->add_item(qw(label three size 3));
$bp->add_item(qw(label four size 4 random key));

pack_bins

Packs the items into bins. This method tries to leave as little empty space in each bin as possible. It returns a list of hashrefs with the key 'size' containing the total bin size, and 'items' containing an arrayref holding the items in the bin. Each item is in turn a hashref containing the keys 'label', 'size', and any others added to the item. If a fudge factor was used, each item will contain a key 'fudgesize', which is the size this item was fudged to.

for my $bin ($bp->pack_bins) {
    print "Bin size: ", $bin->{size}, "\n";
    
    for my $item (@{ $bin->{items} }) {
        printf "  %-6s %-20s\n", $_, $item->{$_} for keys %{ $item };
        print  "  ---\n";
    }
}

SEE ALSO

This module implements the bin packing algorithm described in 'The Algorithm Design Manual' by Steven S. Skiena.

This module is similar to Algorithm::Bucketizer, but has a few key differences. The algorithms in Algorithm::Bucketizer are based on optimization by multiple iterations, so the module is set up differently. The algorithm used in Algorithm::BinPack is predictable, and does not require multiple iterations. I also figured it could use a name that's more well-known (searching for variations on "bin packing" finds more relevant results than variations on "bucketizer").

AUTHOR

Carey Tilden <revdiablo@wd39.com>

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2004 by Carey Tilden

This code is dual licensed. You may choose from one of the following: - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/ - http://d.revinc.org/pages/license