www.digitalmars.com         C & C++   DMDScript  

digitalmars.D.learn - Working with ranges: mismatched function return type inference

reply orip <m8r-kc10jk mailinator.com> writes:
I get "Error: mismatched function return type inference" errors 
with choosing the return type for functions that work on ranges 
using, e.g, std.algorithm or std.range functions, but have 
different behavior based on runtime values. The return type is 
always a range with the same underlying type.

Here's an example:

auto foo(int[] ints) {
   import std.range;
   if (ints.length > 10) {
     return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);
   } else {
     //return ints; // Error: mismatched function return type 
inference of int[] and Result
     return chain(ints[0..0], ints[0..$]); // This workaround 
compiles
   }
}

Is there a compatible return type that can be used, or some other 
workaround?
I couldn't find one when searching for the error or looking at 
the phobos source code.

Thanks! orip
Oct 11 2016
next sibling parent reply pineapple <meapineapple gmail.com> writes:
On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 07:55:36 UTC, orip wrote:
 I get "Error: mismatched function return type inference" errors 
 with choosing the return type for functions that work on ranges 
 using, e.g, std.algorithm or std.range functions, but have 
 different behavior based on runtime values. The return type is 
 always a range with the same underlying type.

 Here's an example:

 auto foo(int[] ints) {
   import std.range;
   if (ints.length > 10) {
     return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);
   } else {
     //return ints; // Error: mismatched function return type 
 inference of int[] and Result
     return chain(ints[0..0], ints[0..$]); // This workaround 
 compiles
   }
 }

 Is there a compatible return type that can be used, or some 
 other workaround?
 I couldn't find one when searching for the error or looking at 
 the phobos source code.

 Thanks! orip
Rewrite `return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);` as `return ints[0..5] ~ ints[8..$];` The `chain` function doesn't return an array, it returns a lazily-evaluated sequence of an entirely different type from `int[]`.
Oct 11 2016
parent reply orip <m8r-kc10jk mailinator.com> writes:
On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 13:06:37 UTC, pineapple wrote:
 Rewrite `return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);` as `return 
 ints[0..5] ~ ints[8..$];`

 The `chain` function doesn't return an array, it returns a 
 lazily-evaluated sequence of an entirely different type from 
 `int[]`.
Of course it does! I would like the function to return an "input range of int", no matter which one specifically. Is this possible?
Oct 11 2016
next sibling parent drug <drug2004 bk.ru> writes:
11.10.2016 18:46, orip пишет:
 On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 13:06:37 UTC, pineapple wrote:
 Rewrite `return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);` as `return ints[0..5]
 ~ ints[8..$];`

 The `chain` function doesn't return an array, it returns a
 lazily-evaluated sequence of an entirely different type from `int[]`.
Of course it does! I would like the function to return an "input range of int", no matter which one specifically. Is this possible?
it doesn't. Using runtime argument you can't choose compile time parameter - returned type. So it's impossible. Almost - b/c you can use Algebraic. Again you can do the following: ```D return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]).array; // it returns int[] ```
Oct 11 2016
prev sibling parent reply TheFlyingFiddle <kurtyan student.chalmers.se> writes:
On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 15:46:20 UTC, orip wrote:
 On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 13:06:37 UTC, pineapple wrote:
 Rewrite `return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);` as `return 
 ints[0..5] ~ ints[8..$];`

 The `chain` function doesn't return an array, it returns a 
 lazily-evaluated sequence of an entirely different type from 
 `int[]`.
Of course it does! I would like the function to return an "input range of int", no matter which one specifically. Is this possible?
It is, but you will have to use an interface / class to achieve this behavior (or use some sort of polymorphic struct). Something like this will do the trick: import std.range; import std.stdio; interface IInputRange(T) { bool empty(); T front(); void popFront(); } final class InputRange(Range) if(isInputRange!Range) : IInputRange!(ElementType!Range) { Range r; this(Range r) { this.r = r; } bool empty() { return r.empty; } ElementType!Range front() { return r.front; } void popFront() { r.popFront; } } auto inputRange(Range)(Range r) { return new InputRange!Range(r); } IInputRange!int foo(int[] ints) { import std.range; if(ints.length > 10) { return inputRange(chain(ints[0 .. 5], ints[8 .. $])); } else { return inputRange(ints); } } void main() { auto ir = foo([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]); auto ir2 = foo([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]); writeln(ir); writeln(ir2); }
Oct 11 2016
parent reply =?UTF-8?Q?Ali_=c3=87ehreli?= <acehreli yahoo.com> writes:
On 10/11/2016 10:28 AM, TheFlyingFiddle wrote:
 On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 15:46:20 UTC, orip wrote:
 On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 13:06:37 UTC, pineapple wrote:
 Rewrite `return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);` as `return ints[0..5]
 ~ ints[8..$];`

 The `chain` function doesn't return an array, it returns a
 lazily-evaluated sequence of an entirely different type from `int[]`.
Of course it does! I would like the function to return an "input range of int", no matter which one specifically. Is this possible?
It is, but you will have to use an interface / class to achieve this behavior (or use some sort of polymorphic struct). Something like this will do the trick: import std.range; import std.stdio; interface IInputRange(T) { bool empty(); T front(); void popFront(); } final class InputRange(Range) if(isInputRange!Range) : IInputRange!(ElementType!Range) { Range r; this(Range r) { this.r = r; } bool empty() { return r.empty; } ElementType!Range front() { return r.front; } void popFront() { r.popFront; } } auto inputRange(Range)(Range r) { return new InputRange!Range(r); } IInputRange!int foo(int[] ints) { import std.range; if(ints.length > 10) { return inputRange(chain(ints[0 .. 5], ints[8 .. $])); } else { return inputRange(ints); } } void main() { auto ir = foo([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]); auto ir2 = foo([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]); writeln(ir); writeln(ir2); }
Those interfaces already exist in Phobos: :) https://dlang.org/phobos/std_range_interfaces.html auto foo(int[] ints) { import std.range; if (ints.length > 10) { return cast(RandomAccessFinite!int)inputRangeObject(chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$])); } else { return cast(RandomAccessFinite!int)inputRangeObject(ints); } } void main() { import std.stdio; import std.range; import std.algorithm; writeln(foo([1, 2, 3])); writeln(foo(iota(20).array)); } Ali
Oct 11 2016
parent Jonathan M Davis via Digitalmars-d-learn writes:
On Tuesday, October 11, 2016 10:42:42 Ali Çehreli via Digitalmars-d-learn 
wrote:
 Those interfaces already exist in Phobos: :)

    https://dlang.org/phobos/std_range_interfaces.html

 auto foo(int[] ints) {
    import std.range;
    if (ints.length > 10) {
        return
 cast(RandomAccessFinite!int)inputRangeObject(chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]));
 } else {
        return cast(RandomAccessFinite!int)inputRangeObject(ints);
    }
 }

 void main() {
      import std.stdio;
      import std.range;
      import std.algorithm;
      writeln(foo([1, 2, 3]));
      writeln(foo(iota(20).array));
 }
And in this case, if you were considering doing that, you might as well just concatenate the dynamic arrays rather than chaining them, because using interfaces means allocating on the heap just like you would with concatenating. About the only time that using interfaces is the right solution with ranges is when you're dealing with virtual functions (which can't be templatized), and even then, it's not necessarily the best choice. Here, IMHO, it makes no sense at all. - Jonathan M Davis
Oct 11 2016
prev sibling next sibling parent Jonathan M Davis via Digitalmars-d-learn writes:
On Tuesday, October 11, 2016 07:55:36 orip via Digitalmars-d-learn wrote:
 I get "Error: mismatched function return type inference" errors
 with choosing the return type for functions that work on ranges
 using, e.g, std.algorithm or std.range functions, but have
 different behavior based on runtime values. The return type is
 always a range with the same underlying type.

 Here's an example:

 auto foo(int[] ints) {
    import std.range;
    if (ints.length > 10) {
      return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);
    } else {
      //return ints; // Error: mismatched function return type
 inference of int[] and Result
      return chain(ints[0..0], ints[0..$]); // This workaround
 compiles
    }
 }

 Is there a compatible return type that can be used, or some other
 workaround?
 I couldn't find one when searching for the error or looking at
 the phobos source code.

 Thanks! orip
You're workaround is basically doing what you need to do. A function can only return one type. The fact that both return statements are returning ranges over the same kind of elements is irrelevant. They have to be _exactly_ the same type. So, either you need to convert the range for the first return statement into int[] so that it matches the second (e.g. by calling array on the result or just using ~), or you need to call chain on two int[]s for the second return statement so that it matches the first. The second option (which your workaround does) is better if you don't intend to convert the result to an array, since it avoids allocating an array, but if you're just going to convert the result to int[] anyway, the first option would be better. Regardless, you can't have a function returning different types from different return statements - even with auto. The compiler needs to know exactly what the return type is whether you type it or not; auto just infers it for you rather than requiring you to type it out. - Jonathan M Davis
Oct 11 2016
prev sibling parent reply ag0aep6g <anonymous example.com> writes:
On 10/11/2016 09:55 AM, orip wrote:
 auto foo(int[] ints) {
   import std.range;
   if (ints.length > 10) {
     return chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]);
   } else {
     //return ints; // Error: mismatched function return type inference
 of int[] and Result
     return chain(ints[0..0], ints[0..$]); // This workaround compiles
   }
 }

 Is there a compatible return type that can be used, or some other
 workaround?
You've got some options: 1) OOP with std.range.interfaces. Ali already showed how this work. Comes at the cost of extra allocations and indirections. 2) std.range.choose wraps two different range types and uses forwards to one of them based on a condition. Should be cheap. But you need restructure your code a little: ---- auto foo(int[] ints) { import std.range: chain, choose; return choose(ints.length > 10, chain(ints[0..5], ints[8..$]), ints); } ---- 3) The workaround you already discovered: making a seemingly pointless call to `chain` to get the types to match. Possibly the most efficient solution. Looks a little odd.
Oct 11 2016
parent orip <m8r-kc10jk mailinator.com> writes:
On Tuesday, 11 October 2016 at 18:09:26 UTC, ag0aep6g wrote:
 You've got some options:
Wow, thanks everyone, great information! I think I understand my options now.
Oct 11 2016