topic Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack? in FlexSim Forum

How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 14:43:25 GMT

[ FlexSim 17.1.6 ]

Hi,

I'm working on the simulation of a warehouse. I want to assign my strategy in the rack. Can I use globaltable to set my specific position? And how to do it,please help me!!

Thank you.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

tanner_p — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 18:48:49 GMT

There are a lot of ways to do warehouse simulation in FlexSim. You can use tokens that are connected to each location or the rack's logic itself or labels on items. Do you have a model that you're working with already? And could you also show the table that you're using to set positions? That will help us provide the best answer for your needs.

As an additional note: beginning in FlexSim 2020, there are additional warehousing tools, specifically custom racks, that make things easier.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 04:25:07 GMT

The rack placement needs a bay and a level to identify a rack cell. If a table organizes the cell management, you put labels for bay and level at the items, which you evaluate in the rack functions Place in Bay and Place in Level. There is a Pick List Option to choose By Expression where you read the labels for bay or level. Your table contains all cells, the address by level, by bay, state if being filled or empty. BEFORE an item enters the rack object, a logic will find a suitable cell in your rack table, update the table data, and assign the labels at the item to be read in place in bay and level function in the rack object.

If you need a more detailed answer, then we need a simplified model of your task, that has got relevant data implemented like @tanner.p suggested.

There are many other concepts to manage rack placement like rack cell labels, lists, process flow tokens. But in the end you will always need a bay and a level to identify a cell. And if you update to a version beginning with 19.2 you will identify instead of a cell a slot that is hierarchy level deeper in an address scheme.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:59:50 GMT

Thank u for your help! But I still can't know how to do it. Following is my model sample,and global table "rack1" is that I want to set specific place for "itemt ype1" and "itemt ype2".

please tell me how to do it in flexsim 2017? thank you so much!!

specific location for different item.fsm

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:39:25 GMT

here is an example to get bay and level from a global table to labels at items. Example is from FlexSim 17.0, because I haven't installed 17.1. Additionally I mark cells already been selected. And I give cells free, when an item leaves the rack. The code is in Send To Port in Queue in front of racks' flow.

If you reset the model, when there are items stored, you have to update the cellsTbl manually to work as intended. Populated cells values are a bit greater than empty cells. The value in the cells are set to match with the itemtype.

find_cell_by_table.fsm

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 18:09:22 GMT

@JUN-WEI P, answer enhanced by an example model in a comment. If you need help on the model, then please ask, where you need help!

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 08:35:31 GMT

@Jörg Vogel Thank u so much for your help! I will try to excute.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 08:36:19 GMT

@tanner.p thank u for your help. I will try to excute!!

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Fri, 29 May 2020 08:47:24 GMT

@Jörg VogelExcuse me!! I still try to do it, but I can't totally understand "The code is in Send To Port in Queue ". Can u describe how to set the "cellsTbl" and "dump" and how to query?

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Fri, 29 May 2020 08:52:42 GMT

Following is my test model, I reference your step, but I didn't know where is the problem.

Please help, thanls.

20200529.fsm

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Fri, 29 May 2020 12:06:30 GMT

There are some major changes between FlexSim 17 and 19.

itemtype doesn't exist anymore as an attribute 
Now: item.Type  where Type is just a label
++++
Table.query(...) with dumpquery(reftable("myResult"),1)
Now: Table forDump = Table.query(...);
     forDump.cloneTo(Table("myResult");
++++
reftable("myGlobalTable")
Now: Table("myGlobalTable")

I made those changes in attached model only for Queue1. Because the method cloneTo() cannot work with an empty table, I changed some code lines, too.

Additionally I copy the base table on reset to cellsTbl. And because I didn't find an error fast, I changed the random distributed interarrival times to a constant value. And there is now a Queue3 in the model to receive items not storable.

20200529-JV.fsm

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Fri, 29 May 2020 13:54:45 GMT

@Jörg Vogel thank u for your help. I'm already update my FlexSim version to 19 and I will try to excute.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Fri, 29 May 2020 14:08:54 GMT

@JUN-WEI P, I know, because your uploaded model was built in flexSim 19.0, that is why I write my comment pointing to the differences between these two versions. But if you upgrade to Flexsim 19.2.4, then there is a complete new warehousing class. Then you can forget the table approach completely, because there is internally a more advanced backend to manage the distribution of items into many storage zones.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Sat, 30 May 2020 06:10:38 GMT

@Jörg Vogel I stll have FlexSim19.0, so I think I will just do I want in this version. thank u so much! But can u show me if I use FlexSim19.2.4 what can I do the location distribution easier. It make me exciting!!

By the way, I still have some problem in my Mmodel.I follow your steps and it can do it sucessfully, but I want to know if I have 2 racks and just one vehicle and one queue like the following model, how can I do the same things in my different location assignment("cellsTbl1 & cellsTbl2").And I want my assignment for random not the DESC.Please help and thank you so much!!

20200530.fsm

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Sat, 30 May 2020 07:10:23 GMT

You can think about a different structure of a query. Currently you transfer the front face of a rack into a table. Actually you need this structure only to mark cells to match with attributes. Later it is easier to find a cell if you have a table which contains unique columns for levels, bays and racks. You flatten the structure like I started in my post here. But you don‘t do it over the racks but over the base tables and the rack objects. In the end you will get a table, which has got a unique column for an index, all bays, all levels, all racks, type, occupied state and other attributes if you like. Then you do a table query to get a not-occupied cell. And the result is the index, maybe the rack object, bay and level. But important is only the index, because other needed attribute values are bound to the row by the index.

You extract by the index value the rack object or output port in the queue, bay, level and transfer this in the Send To port function to release the item through the right port, and to assign labels for bay, level and index at the item. After that you mark the cell as occupied in the table.

On Exit of the rack you reset the occupied state in the table, because the index in label of the item tells you the row to change the value.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Sat, 30 May 2020 07:52:18 GMT

@Jörg Vogel

Can you use my model and demo for me? I stilI can't understand how to do it, thank u.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

joerg_vogel_HsH — Sat, 30 May 2020 11:18:37 GMT

Perhaps you create a new question. There you describe exactly, what is your problem? Maybe you identify a solution, when you describe the problem yourself.

Re: How can I use globaltable to set position in a rack?

jun_wei_p — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 07:58:06 GMT

OK, thank you.