dolfin team mailing list archive

[Johan Hake <hake@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tuesday 02 December 2008 23:53:32 Anders Logg wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 11:39:40PM +0100, Johan Hake wrote:
> > On Tuesday 02 December 2008 23:15:34 Anders Logg wrote:
> > > On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 10:35:31PM +0100, Johan Hake wrote:
> > > > On Tuesday 02 December 2008 15:42:53 Anders Logg wrote:
> > > > > On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 12:12:14PM +0100, Anders Logg wrote:
> > > > > > I've tried adding a new class Constant in function.py:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > class Constant(ffc.Constant, dolfin.cpp_Function):
> > > > > >
> > > > > >     def __init__(self, domain, value):
> > > > > >         "Create constant-valued function."
> > > > > >         print domain
> > > > > >         print value
> > > > > >         #ffc.Constant.__init__(self, domain)
> > > > > >         #dolfin.cpp_Constant.__init__(self, value)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > But I get the following error message:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >   File
> > > > > >
> > > > > > "/scratch/fenics/dolfin/dolfin-dev/local/lib/python2.5/site-packa
> > > > > >ges/ dolf in/function.py", line 411, in <module> class
> > > > > > Constant(ffc.Constant, dolfin.cpp_Function):
> > > > > > TypeError: Error when calling the metaclass bases
> > > > > >     function() argument 1 must be code, not str
> > > > > >
> > > > > > How is this possible? There should be no metaclasses involved
> > > > > > here (except the built-in Python metaclass type that is always
> > > > > > there).
> > > >
> > > > Meta classes is always involed when you try to create a class. This
> > > > time it is not the FunctionCreator meta class, even if you first
> > > > think so.
> > > >
> > > > If you ever tried to subclass a python function, which you are
> > > > trying, you
> > > >
> > > > will get the same error:
> > > >   >>> def jada():pass
> > > >
> > > >   ...
> > > >
> > > >   >>> class Jada(jada):pass
> > > >
> > > >   ...
> > > >   Traceback (most recent call last):
> > > >     File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
> > > >   TypeError: Error when calling the metaclass bases
> > > >       function() argument 1 must be code, not str
> > > >
> > > > ffc.Constant is a function not a class...
> > >
> > > Sorry, my fault. It looks like someone did a clever trick when
> > > implementing Constant in FFC as a function and not a class... :-)
> > >
> > > > > I get this error even if I just try to create a class named
> > > > > anything that inherits from ffc.Constant.
> > > > >
> > > > > Does the metaclass construction in function.py have side-effects?
> > > >
> > > > Well, for it's use I think it works fine. The user should never
> > > > bother with the metaclass, as the newly added quote to the docstring
> > > > is mentioning.
> > > >
> > > > What we need to do is to assert the user use the Function class
> > > > correct. I have tried to put in some checks with hopefully
> > > > informative error messages. But I dont know if I have covered all
> > > > bases. We need user feedback for this.
> > >
> > > I'm sure the checks are very good, but could the logic be broken up
> > > to first split on the different types, so there's essentially one case
> > > for each of the different options in the Function docstring, and then
> > > a function is called for each case to do the work?
> > >
> > > > > I don't remember if we discussed this before, but would it be
> > > > > possible (at least simpler) to instead define a simple Python
> > > > > function that returns a "function" instance:
> > > > >
> > > > > class FooFunction(ffc.Function, ...):
> > > > >     ...
> > > > > class BarFunction(dolfin.Function, ...):
> > > > >     ...
> > > > >
> > > > > def Function(V, *arg):
> > > > >
> > > > >     if foo:
> > > > >         return FooFunction(...)
> > > > >     elif bar:
> > > > >         return BarFunction(...)
> > > > >
> > > > > This seems to be an easier solution. It would still be dynamic.
> > > >
> > > > This is mre or less what is going on right now. Instead of
> > > > predefining the different classes they are defined dynamically in the
> > > > __new__ function. We need to do this because the compiled functions
> > > > are created at runtime.
> > > >
> > > > I can try to untangle the code a bit as asked for previously. The
> > > > suggestion below which will extract the instantiation of compiled
> > > > functions and discrete functions is one more radical example.
> > >
> > > ok.
> > >
> > > > > The only drawback would be that we can't do
> > > > >
> > > > >   isinstace(v, Function)
> > > >
> > > > This is not possible now either, as we are dynamically creating
> > > > classes in __new__, and returning instances of other classes than
> > > > Function
> > > >
> > > > Basically we are now dynamically creating Function classes that are
> > > > all having the name "Function" but they are not of the same class.
> > > > This can be illustrated by this:
> > > >
> > > >   class Function(object):
> > > >       def __new__(cls,cppexpr=None):
> > > >           if cppexpr is None:
> > > >               return object.__new__(cls)
> > > >           class CompiledClass(object):pass
> > > >           class Function(CompiledClass):pass
> > > >           return Function()
> > > >
> > > >   f  = Function()
> > > >   f2 = Function(cppexpr="")
> > > >
> > > >   isinstance(f,Function)  # This will return True
> > > >   isinstance(f2,Function) # This will return False
> > > >
> > > > I cannot see how we can avoid this, as we need to create classes at
> > > > runtime. As you mention we could add a FunctionBase class that we
> > > > could check against. But I was convinced by Martins argument
> > > > previously that in PyDOLFIN code we never want to check if a function
> > > > is both a cpp_Function and a ffc.Function, but rather for one of
> > > > them. We could write this as a note for developers of PyDOLFIN, and
> > > > live with it.
> > > >
> > > > I am a bit more worried for advanced python users that do not know of
> > > > this. They could write user code that include isinstance(f,Function)
> > > > statements, and it wont behave as expected.
> > > >
> > > > We could add a
> > > >
> > > >   CompileFunction(cppexpr=None, cppcode=None)
> > > >
> > > > which behave in the same manner as Function(cppexpr/cppcode) does
> > > > today. In this way we can dynamically create functions that inherits,
> > > > cpp_JitCompiledFunction, ffc.Function _and_ dolfin.Function, where
> > > > the latter is a class which is either an empty class or one that
> > > > holds the FunctionSpace. If we do this we also need to have an
> > > > additional function/class to instantiate discrete functions.
> > > >
> > > > This way to handle the isinstance problem can also be implemented for
> > > > all cases where Function is subclassed, i.e., both for Jit compiled
> > > > and ordinary python Functors.
> > > >
> > > > But I have a feeling we add more complexity than we remove...
> > >
> > > If I understand this correctly, it seems to be a simplification, or at
> > > least it makes it more explicit which we all know is better (import
> > > this).
> > >
> > > But I would like a Function class (or function) on top that delegates
> > > the creation of Function objects to these classes.
> > >
> > > > > This can be solved by creating an empty class FunctionBase that all
> > > > > the special types inherit from.
> > > >
> > > > This is the easiest way to fix the isinstance problem, but I think it
> > > > is a bit unintuitive to check for FunctionBase when you have created
> > > > a Function object.
> > > >
> > > > So I have scretched three possible ways to have it:
> > > >
> > > >   1) As it is now (with clearer code). Everything is handled with
> > > >      the Function class. You cannot check for isinstance(f,Function)
> > > >
> > > >   2) Add CompiledFunction and DiscreteFunction. You can now
> > > >      check for isinstance(f,Function) everywhere.
> > > >
> > > >   3) Add FunctionBase, you can now check for
> > > > isinstance(f,FunctionBase)
> > > >
> > > > I go for either 1 or 2.
> > >
> > > I'd like all of the above! :-)
> > >
> > > 1. One single Function class using the metaclass trick to return
> > > instances with dynamic inheritance.
> >
> > Ok.
> >
> > Just for repetition:
> > The metaclass is used to construct new classes that dynamically inherit
> > Jit compiled classes, not instances. The latter is done in the __new__
> > function.
> >
> > > 2. Add classes CompiledFunction, DiscreteFunction etc that handle all
> > > the different ways in which the C++ part of a Function can behave.
> >
> > My point was to add these for the user when he/she want to instantiate
> > one fo these classes. This would be instead of the instantiation
> > functioanlity handled by __new__ in the present Function class, and the
> > whole point with introducing them would be to be able to use
> >
> >   isinstance(u,Function)
> >
> > where u can be any of the possible Functions we want to have.
>
> Maybe we could add CompiledFunction since it's rather special, but I'd
> like to avoid adding DiscreteFunction in the user interface. It would
> be good if the Python interface could be kept very uniform with the
> C++ interface:
>
>   Function v(V);
>
>   v = Function(V)
>
> > > The created instances will inherit from ffc.Function (later
> > > ufl.Function) and one of these classes.
> >
> > I am not with you here, or you are not with me ;)
> >
> > I mean that the created Function need to inherit FFC.Function together
> > with what ever cpp_Function and a dummy dolfin.Function that the user
> > could use to check, as showed above.
> >
> > We need to do this because a function that is instantiated from a
> > dynamically created class using Function.__new__ cannot inherit Function,
> > we will get an inherit recursion.
> >
> > But if we split out the instantiation magic we can create classes that
> > all inherit Function (my 2), or we can keep the instantiation magic and
> > introduce a FunctionBase class (my 3).
>
> My only concerns are:
>
> 1. A simple interface that corresponds closely to the C++
> interface. In C++, we have
>
>   Function: can be either discrete or user-defined (subclassed)
>
>   Constant: special case for constants to avoid too many different
>             constructors in Function
>
> In Python, we could then have the two above, plus an extra version
> which does not exist in C++ (for obvious reasons):
>
>   CompiledFunction
>
> Would this help?

W.r.t. solving the isinstance(f,Function) problem, I think no. As the Function 
class then always have to be a discrete function. If we let a compiled 
function inherit Function to facilitate isinstance, we also force it to be a 
discrete function, which probably would make the compiled function abit 
schizofreniac. 

This goes to the core of the isinstance problem. Now Function is a versatile 
class that can do many things but we cannot use it to check isinstance. If we 
desides that this is important, we need to split out the instantiation of the 
compiled _and_ discrete functions, if not we're fine.

Btw, is there any special function that defines a class's isinstance protocol? 
If there was we could define our own __isinstancecheck__?

> 2. A very explicit implementation which clearly separates the
> different cases and makes the magic explicit in function.py.

I will fix this.

Johan