Flatten n-dimensional vector - c++

Question

I worked out an algorithm that can be used recursively, which works in a non-recursive manner, however, I cannot test it in recursive form because I cannot create a n-1 dimensional variable from the template.For help I write down the variable names and its meaning:
v: the n-dimensional vector
dims: n long vector with every dimension (e.g: if it was an array looking like int x[3][6][4], then dims looks like: {3, 6, 4})
p: product of the dimensions, used to get the size of the flat vector (e.g: 3*6*4)
ret: the returned flat vector
sub_dims: same as dims execpt without the first dimension (e.g: {6, 4})
sub_p: same as p except without the first factor (e.g: 6*4)
sub_ret: the returned flat vector for the n-1 dimensional vector
the code:
template <typename T>
vector<int> dim_flat(vector<T> v, vector<int> dims)
{
// creating variables and vectors
int n = dims.size();
int p = dims[0];
for (int i = 1; i < n; i++)
{
p *= dims[i];
}
int sub_p = p / dims[0];
vector<int> sub_dims;
sub_dims.assign(dims.begin() + 1, dims.end());
vector<int> ret(p);
// algorithm
if (n > 1)
{
for (int i = 0; i < dims[0]; i++)
{
vector<int> sub_ret = dim_flat(v[i], sub_dims);
for (int j = 0; j < sub_p; j++)
{
ret[i * sub_p + j] = sub_ret[j];
}
}
}
else
{
// case for the input is 1D
// not yet written
}
return ret;
}
With this code the project build, however if I call it in main:
vector<int> ret = dim_flat(v, dims);
where v is e.g. an 4D vector and dims is a vector containing {3, 3, 3, 3}, then I get the following when trying to build:
error C2784: 'std::vector<_Ty> dim_flat(std::vector<T>,std::vector<_Ty>)' : could not deduce template argument for 'std::vector<T>' from 'int'
for the line
vector<int> sub_ret = dim_flat(v[i], sub_dims);
I kinda (but not really) understand the meaning of this error, so I expected the same to happen, which it did for this:
T x = v[i];
vector<int> sub_ret = dim_flat(x, sub_dims);
This is the part where I don't really understand the error anymore, because I thought that with the argument vector<T> v I specified that the input e.g. 4D vector will be understood as a vector of T where T is a 3D vector that can be also indexed since its a vector<T>. So following this logic I thought that if I give the recursion the first T being a 3D vector, then a step deeper this 3D vector will now be understood as a vector of T' where T' is a 2D vector, and so on.
Clearly either my logic is flawed, or I used the wrong method (, or both), so the question is: How can I solve / fix this?
EDIT:Credit to Max66 for the solution.
The code probably could be more optimized, but at least now it works.
Code:
//// for integer only
// case input is 0-dimensional (simply a variable)
template <typename T>
vector<int> dim_flat (const T &v, const vector<int> &dims)
{
return vector<int>(1, v);
}
// case input is n-dimensional
template <typename T>
vector<int> dim_flat(const vector<T> &v, const vector<int> &dims)
{
// creating variables and vectors
int n = dims.size();
int p = dims[0];
for (int i = 1; i < n; i++)
{
p *= dims[i];
}
int sub_p = p / dims[0];
vector<int> sub_dims;
sub_dims.assign(dims.begin() + 1, dims.end());
vector<int> ret(p);
// algorithm
if (n > 1) // case n-dimensional
{
for (int i = 0; i < dims[0]; i++)
{
vector<int> sub_ret = dim_flat(v[i], sub_dims);
for (int j = 0; j < sub_p; j++)
{
ret[i * sub_p + j] = sub_ret[j];
}
}
}
else // case 1-dimensional
{
for (int i = 0; i < p; i++)
{
vector<int> sub_ret = dim_flat(v[i], sub_dims);
ret[i] = sub_ret[0];
}
}
return ret;
}

Answer 1

Short answer: add the function
std::vector<int> dim_flat (int v, std::vector<int> const &)
{ return {v}; }
if you can use C++11 or newer, or
std::vector<int> dim_flat (int v, std::vector<int> const &)
{ return std::vector<int>(1, v); }
if you have to use C++98
Long answer: if I'm not wrong, the problem is that, when you call dim_flat() with an std::vector<int> (when T is int), you have n == 1, so dim_flat() isn't called (is executed the "case for the input 1D") but the compiler isn't so smart to understand that there is no need to call dim_flat() with int (instead std::vector<T>) so look for dim_flat(int, std::vector<int>) and doesn't find it.
So, to make the compiler happy, you have to implement dim_flat(int, std::vector<int>).
Can be a dummy function (that return an empty vector), but I suggest you to implement it correctly.
A little of topic: please, avoid unusefull copies of vectors; in your dim_flat(), v and dims are only readed, not modified; so you can receive they as const reference, as follows
template <typename T>
std::vector<int> dim_flat(std::vector<T> const & v,
std::vector<int> const & dims)
P.s.: why don't you simply write as follows ?
std::vector<int> dim_flat (std::vector<int> const & v)
{ return v; }
template <typename T>
std::vector<int> dim_flat(std::vector<std::vector<T>> const & v)
{
std::vector<int> ret;
for ( auto const & e : v )
{
auto s = dim_flat(e);
ret.reserve( ret.size() + s.size() );
ret.insert( ret.end(), s.cbegin(), s.cend() );
}
return ret;
}