Combining Goals

Use the goal combination tool to extract a single error value from a set of goals.

On the Request tab, in the Optimisation group, click the  Combine goals icon.


Figure 1. The Combine goal dialog.

The extraction type can be chosen as Maximum, Minimum or Average. When a set of goals are combined using this tool, only the minimum, maximum or average value of all of the errors of all of the goals in the set is taken.

In order to combine goals using the combination tool, goals in the same search in the same tree level should be selected. The Combine goals dialog (see Figure 1) is launched in which the Combination type is chosen. Goals are added to an existing combination by right-clicking on the combination in the tree, and selecting the type of goal to add. Goals are removed from the combination by deleting them. If all goals in a combination are deleted, then the combination is automatically removed. Goals can be copied out of a combination to the root of the goals tree by opening the right-click context menu for the particular goal and selecting Copy.

The Average, Minimum and Maximum options define how the evaluated errors of the goals in the combination should be reduced to one error value. For example, if Average is chosen, then the average error of the goals in the combination are returned, while Maximum returns the maximum error. Each combination is assigned a weighting that indicates how the error should be combined with other goals and combinations in the same level of the tree during the global fitness evaluation. The combination tools may be nested to as many levels as required.