Random Generator Problem
Q: Occasionally I get this error message from xfst: when I use the 'print random'
commands
*** Sorry. Have
trouble finding valid paths in this net.
*** Quitting
after 50 failed attempts.
Why would it do this?
A: For networks with a finite number of
paths, the random generator uses a word-number mapping algorithm that
assigns to each path a number. It then picks one of the numbers at
random and follows the chosen path. If the path is blocked by some
flag-diacritic constraint, xfst
picks another random number and tries again. After 50 failed attempts
it quits. This can happen in networks that have a huge number of
invalid paths, constrained by flags, and a small number of valid paths.