7.7 Progress and data callback¶
Callbacks are a very useful mechanism that allow the caller to track the progress of the MOSEK optimizer. A callback function provided by the user is regularly called during the optimization and can be used to
obtain a customized log of the solver execution,
collect information for debugging purposes or
ask the solver to terminate.
Warning
The callbacks functions must not invoke any functions of the solver, environment or task. Otherwise the state of the solver and its outcome are undefined. The only exception is the possibility to retrieve an integer solution, see below.
Retrieving mixed-integer solutions
If the mixed-integer optimizer is used, the callback will take place, in particular, every time an improved integer solution is found. In that case it is possible to retrieve the current values of the best integer solution from within the callback function. It can be useful for implementing complex termination criteria for integer optimization. The example in Listing 7.5 shows how to do it by handling the callback code MSK_CALLBACK_NEW_INT_MIO.
7.7.1 Data callback¶
In the data callback MOSEK passes a callback code and values of all information items to a user-defined function. The callback function is called, in particular, at the beginning of each iteration of the interior-point optimizer. For the simplex optimizers MSK_IPAR_LOG_SIM_FREQ controls how frequently the call-back is called.
The callback is set by calling the function MSK_putcallbackfunc and providing a handle to a user-defined function MSKcallbackfunc.
Non-zero return value of the callback function indicates that the optimizer should be terminated.
7.7.2 Working example: Data callback¶
The following example defines a data callback function that prints out some of the information items. It interrupts the solver after a certain time limit.
static int MSKAPI usercallback(MSKtask_t task,
MSKuserhandle_t handle,
MSKcallbackcodee caller,
const MSKrealt * douinf,
const MSKint32t * intinf,
const MSKint64t * lintinf)
{
cbdata_t data = (cbdata_t) handle;
double maxtime = data->maxtime;
MSKrescodee r;
switch (caller)
{
case MSK_CALLBACK_BEGIN_INTPNT:
printf("Starting interior-point optimizer\n");
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_INTPNT:
printf("Iterations: %-3d Time: %6.2f(%.2f) ",
intinf[MSK_IINF_INTPNT_ITER],
douinf[MSK_DINF_OPTIMIZER_TIME],
douinf[MSK_DINF_INTPNT_TIME]);
printf("Primal obj.: %-18.6e Dual obj.: %-18.6e\n",
douinf[MSK_DINF_INTPNT_PRIMAL_OBJ],
douinf[MSK_DINF_INTPNT_DUAL_OBJ]);
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_END_INTPNT:
printf("Interior-point optimizer finished.\n");
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_BEGIN_PRIMAL_SIMPLEX:
printf("Primal simplex optimizer started.\n");
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_UPDATE_PRIMAL_SIMPLEX:
printf("Iterations: %-3d ",
intinf[MSK_IINF_SIM_PRIMAL_ITER]);
printf(" Elapsed time: %6.2f(%.2f)\n",
douinf[MSK_DINF_OPTIMIZER_TIME],
douinf[MSK_DINF_SIM_TIME]);
printf("Obj.: %-18.6e\n",
douinf[MSK_DINF_SIM_OBJ]);
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_END_PRIMAL_SIMPLEX:
printf("Primal simplex optimizer finished.\n");
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_BEGIN_DUAL_SIMPLEX:
printf("Dual simplex optimizer started.\n");
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_UPDATE_DUAL_SIMPLEX:
printf("Iterations: %-3d ", intinf[MSK_IINF_SIM_DUAL_ITER]);
printf(" Elapsed time: %6.2f(%.2f)\n",
douinf[MSK_DINF_OPTIMIZER_TIME],
douinf[MSK_DINF_SIM_TIME]);
printf("Obj.: %-18.6e\n", douinf[MSK_DINF_SIM_OBJ]);
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_END_DUAL_SIMPLEX:
printf("Dual simplex optimizer finished.\n");
break;
case MSK_CALLBACK_NEW_INT_MIO:
printf("New integer solution has been located.\n");
r = MSK_getxx(task, MSK_SOL_ITG, data->xx);
if (r == MSK_RES_OK) {
int i;
printf("xx = ");
for (i = 0; i < data->numvars; i++) printf("%lf ", data->xx[i]);
printf("\nObj.: %f\n", douinf[MSK_DINF_MIO_OBJ_INT]);
}
default:
break;
}
if (douinf[MSK_DINF_OPTIMIZER_TIME] >= maxtime)
{
/* mosek is spending too much time.
Terminate it. */
return (1);
}
return (0);
} /* usercallback */
Assuming that we have defined a task task and a time limit maxtime, the callback function is attached as follows:
