Which algorithms can be used for generating timetables/schedules?

Question

I have a question about scheduling. I need to make a timetable generator for appointments. this is the current situation.

P1 has an appointment A with P2.
P3 has an appointment B with P4.
and so on...

Appointment A takes about 15 minutes
Appointment B takes about 40 minutes
(The time of duration depends on the number of topics, 1 topic = 5 minutes)

I need to put this into a timetable with a few other constraints, with a limited amount to schedule all the meetings.

My question is: Which algorithms can be used for this?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

What you should look into, as long as the dataset is small, is a classic backtracking algorithm, which will solve the problem by bruteforcing. However, the algorithm will get inefficient, if your dataset is growing. In that case, you should have a look at artificial intelligence like genetic algorithms to solve the problem.