1
$\begingroup$

I am using a differential geometry package (the now discontinued Atlas) which repeatedly calls the Simplify functions in its computations, which in some cases leads to extremely long (days? In the end I have to abort the computation) evaluation times.

Is there any way to force a maximum time for Simplfy globally? Since the function is called by the package, short of modifying the source code, I cannot pass it as an option.

It's quite likely that expressions are too unwieldy to be of any use but I'd like to check that.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3
$\begingroup$

Simplify has the TimeConstraint options, which controls how much it should wait for certain transformations to complete. You can try changing the default value, for example:

SetOptions[Simplify, TimeConstraint -> 20]

This sets it to be 20 seconds. On startup, the value is 300.

Will this actually help with Atlas? I don't know, but it's worth a try.

It is good to know that some functions will not respect the default option values. I just tested Simplify in Mathematica 12.3.1 and I can confirm that it does respect the default TimeConstraint.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ It does help with Atlas! I did know about TimeConstraint but thought I could only pass it as an option and not set it globally. Exactly what the answer I needed, thanks! $\endgroup$
    – GFR
    Commented Sep 20, 2021 at 16:55

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.