[ANN] Precedence 0.8

I've just released Precedence 0.8. This is a combined release with 0.7
(last release was 0.6). This is not backward compatiable with 0.6 so
if you're using it you might have to do some refactoring. Here's the
README and CHANGELOG.

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= Precedence

Precedence is a library that allows for the creation, manipulation and analysis
of precedence networks.

== Download and Install

Available as a RubyGem from Rubyforge. To install
 $ gem install precedence
will fetch the latest gem from Rubyforge and install it.

Source can also be downloaded from  http://rubyforge.org/projects/precedence.

== Example Usage
 require('precedence')
 
 # Set up network
 net = Precedence::Network.new
 net.new_activity('act-1-1') do |act|
 	act.expected_duration = 3
 	act.description = 'System specification'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-1-2' do |act|
 	act.expected_duration = 2
 	act.description = 'Review'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-1-3') do |act|
 	act.expected_duration = 2
 	act.description = 'System re-specification'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-2-1') do |act|
 	act.expected_duration = 3
 	act.description = 'Test tool design'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-2-2') do |act| 
 	act.expected_duration = 5
 	act.description = 'Test tool implementation'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-3-1')
 	act.expected_duration = 3
 	act.description = 'System design'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-3-2') do |act|
 	act.expected_duration = 12
 	act.description = 'System implementation'
 end
 net.new_activity('act-2-3') do |act| 
 	act.expected_duration = 10
 	act.description = 'System testing'
 end
 net.connect('act-1-1','act-1-2')
 net.connect('act-1-2','act-1-3')
 net.connect('act-1-3','act-3-1')
 net.connect('act-1-2','act-2-1')
 net.connect('act-2-1','act-2-2')
 net.connect('act-2-2','act-3-2')
 net.connect('act-3-1','act-3-2')
 net.connect('act-3-2','act-2-3')
 net.fix_connections!
 
 # Generate a diagram
 File.open('network.dot',File::CREAT|File::TRUNC|File::WRONLY) do |file|
	file.puts(net.to_dot)
 end
 system("dot","-Tpng","-onetwork.png","network.dot")
 
 # Perform some analysis of the activities
 activity = net.activities['act-1-2']
 activity.on_critical_path? # => true 
 activity.earliest_start # => 3.0
 activity.latest_finish # => 5.0
 activity.total_float  # => 0 - activities on the critical path have no float
 
 # Save the network to a YAML file
 File.open('network.yaml',File::CREAT|File::TRUNC|File::WRONLY do |file|
 	file.puts(net.to_yaml)
 end
 
 # Read the network from a YAML file
 newNet = Precedence::Network.from_yaml(File.new('network.yaml',File::RDONLY))
 
== Documentation

The Precedence API online documentation is available at 
http://precedence.rubyforge.org. 

Refer to the CHANGELOG and TODO files for past changes and upcoming plans.

== Credits

Farrel Lifson <[e-mail]>

== License

This software is made available under the BSD license.

= ChangeLog

= 0.8

* Added multiple durations. An activity has the following durations associated
   activity = Precedence::Activity.new('activity1') do |act|
    act.expected_duration = 2 # This is what would've been act.duration
    act.minimum_duration = 1 # The minimum time the activity could need
    act.maximum_duration = 4 # The maximum time the activity should need
   end

  From this the following may be determined:
   activity.mean_duration
   activity.standard_deviation
   activity.variance

  A Beta distribution is assumed to be used for the probability density function
  and if certain assumptions are made the following hold
  - The mean_duration is calculated as: 
     (4*expected_duration + minimum_duration + maximum_duration)/6
  - The standard deviations is: 
     (maximum_duration - minimum_duration)/6
  - The variance is the standard deviation squared.

  The activity.duration attribute is still present and it is configurable to 
  allow the differing duration types. The duration to be used is set using the
  Activity.duration_type attribute. For instance assuming we have the following 
  two activities set up:
   act1 = Precedence::Activity.new('a1') do |activity|
    activity.expected_duration = 2
    activity.minimum_duration = 1
    activity.maximum_duration = 3
   end
   act2 = Precedence::Activity.new('a2') do |activity|
    activity.expected_duration = 3
    activity.minimum_duration = 1
    activity.maximum_duration = 5
   end
   act1.add_post_activities(act2)
   # Duration type is initially set to the expected duration
   act2.earliest_finish # => 5
   # Change duration type to the maximum duration
   act2.duration_type = Activity::MAXIMUM_DURATION
   act2.earliest_finish # => 7

  The allowed duration types are : EXPECTED_DURATION, MEAN_DURATION, 
  MINIMUM_DURATION and MAXIMUM_DURATION

* Moved the ActivityHash and ResourceHash into the Precedence::Utilities module.

* Added Activity.active_at?(time) which returns true if the activity
is active at
  time.

* Added Network.activities_at_time(time) which returns an array of activities 
  active at that time.
  
* Added Activity.active_during?(range) which returns true if the
activity is active
  during the time range given.

* Added Network.activities_during_time(range) which returns an array
of activities
  active during the range given.

* Added Network.each_time_period(tick,&block) which iterates over the duration
  of the project in time steps of the tick parameter, yielding an array of
  activities active at each time to the block.
  
* Removed the StartActivity and FinishActivity of the network from the 
  Network.activities hash. They are still avaialable in the hash if needed
   precNetwork.activities['start']
   precNetwork.activities['finish'] 
  will return the StartActivity/FinishActivity however
   precNetwork.activities.each
  will not include them. I am still thinking of a way to get rid of
them altogether.
  
* Added Network.reference_exists? which will return true if the
reference is in the network.


= 0.7
* Added ability to load from and save networks to YAML files.

* Split StartFinishActivity into seperate StartActivity and FinishActivity 
  classes.

* Added StartActivity::REFERENCE and Network::START as well as 
  FinishActivity::REFERENCE and Network::FINISH as constants to hold the 
  reserved references for the start and finish activities in a network.

* Totally changed the way activities are created in both the Activity and
  Network classes.   
   Activity.new(reference,duration,description,post_activities,pre_activities)
  is now
   Activity.new(reference) do |activity|
     activity.duration = duration
     activity.description = description
     activity.add_post_activities(post_activities)
     activity.add_pre_activities(pre_activities)
   end   

  The same applies to the Network.new_activity method
   Network.new_activity(reference,duration,description,post_activities,pre_activities)
  has become
   network.new_activity(reference) do |activity|
    activity.duration = duration
    activity.description = description
    activity.add_pre_activities(pre_activities)
   end
   network.connect(reference,post_activities)
   pre_activities.each do |pre_act_ref|
    network.connect(pre_act_ref,reference)
   end

  In fact the block from his method is passed directly to the Activity.new 
  method. While you could use add_post_activities and add_pre_activities in this
  block it is better to use Network.connect when dealing with the Network class.

* Added resources to activities. They can be set via the activity.resources hash