Re: [boost] [accumulators] Help understanding implementation of weighted accumulators

Subject: Re: [boost] [accumulators] Help understanding implementation of weighted accumulators
From: Eric Niebler (eniebler_at_[hidden])
Date: 2013-05-01 20:23:47

On 5/1/2013 1:13 PM, Gabriel Redner wrote:
> Hi folks,
> 
> I am trying to implement a weighted accumulator, but I'm having
> trouble understanding a few things about the existing ones.
> 
> Looking at the implementation of weighted_sum, I see (weighted_sum.hpp:37):
> 
>         template<typename Args>
>         weighted_sum_impl(Args const &args)
>           : weighted_sum_(
>                 args[parameter::keyword<Tag>::get() | Sample()]
>                   * numeric::one<Weight>::value
>             )
>         {
>         }
> 
> My questions are:
> 
> - It's taking the first sample from the args and multiplying it by a
> weight of 1.  Isn't this wrong - ignoring the real weight of this
> sample?  Shouldn't this produce incorrect results?

It's not taking the first sample. It's (optionally) taking an element
representing zero. In most cases, a default-constructed Sample() is
satisfactory for a zero element, but in some cases it's not. Consider
what happens if your Sample type is std::vector<int>, and all your
samples are going to be 3-element vectors. Then your zero is a
std::vector<int> with 3 zeros. Any other starting value would cause all
future computation to fail.

And we multiply by one to make the type promotion come out right.

> - I've never understood anyways how there can be an initial argument
> during construction of the accumulator.  I haven't found any
> explanation in the docs beyond "Maybe there is an initial value in the
> argument pack".  Maybe?  How?

I hope that clears it up.

-- 
Eric Niebler
Boost.org
http://www.boost.org