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feat: allow specifying multiple values for properties in an instance

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@christian-pinto is already working on this.

Since Sep 28, 2026.

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Description

enhancement

Description

I would like a way for a problem instance to a sweep of one or more variables.
An example is given in https://zib-aopt.github.io/QOBLIB/instance.html?problem=06&name=a050_t10_s00_b020 where the parameter lambda has multiple values

This would allow us to add this QOBLIB problem instance, a050_t10_s00_b020 (and the others), as defined there which we can't currently do.

Proposed Solution

Proposed solution is to define the properties of the instance in the same way as an entity space. This naturally allows defining a sweep.

The previous solution will not work in this case because

  • each lambda value is a separate input file.
  • which lambda value is which is only stored in the file name

That is, as is reading only the files you have to know how the lambda value was stored. The qoblib results display works because the submitter of a result can make this mapping in the submission. The website does not have to understand the mapping.

The problem remains in how to handle the difference between parameters which can have exactly one of a set of values (the artefact files) and the others. Right now I propose keeping them separate as they are - later we might find a way to define everything as an entity space (e.g. using constraints).

Alternate Solutions

Define in one instance folder multiple sub-instances which are then rendered as being one instance in the dashboard.

For example in this case one folder for lamdba=0, lambda=1e-6 etc.

Additional Context

If showing on a leadeboard the varying parameters would have to be added to instance name in same was a parameterized experiment. This doesn't happen on QOBLIB and leads to a bug where the best value for 050_t10_s00_b020 is actually the best value for one of the lambdas.

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