Memoization code in C++: why it doesn't work? - c++

Question

I got this example about implementing generic memoization in C++. However, as someone made notice in this comment, the original code makes 2 lookups, while the code below makes only one.
The only problem is that there is an error at the second return that I don't understand.
template <typename ReturnType, typename... Args>
std::function<ReturnType (Args...)> memoize(std::function<ReturnType (Args...)> func)
{
std::map<std::tuple<Args...>, ReturnType> cache;
return ([=](Args... args) mutable {
std::tuple<Args...> t(args...);
auto range = cache.equal_range(t);
if (range.first != range.second) return (*range.first).second;
return (*cache.insert(range.first, func(args...))).second;
});
}
Compiler error:
In instantiation of 'memoize(std::function<_Res(_ArgTypes ...)>)::<lambda(Args ...)> mutable [with ReturnType = int; Args = {int, int}]':
14:36: required from 'struct memoize(std::function<_Res(_ArgTypes ...)>) [with ReturnType = int; Args = {int, int}]::<lambda(int, int)>'
16:6: required from 'std::function<_Res(_ArgTypes ...)> memoize(std::function<_Res(_ArgTypes ...)>) [with ReturnType = int; Args = {int, int}]'
34:56: required from here
14:9: error: no matching function for call to 'std::map<std::tuple<int, int>, int, std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >, std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> > >::insert(std::_Rb_tree_iterator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >&, int)'
14:9: note: candidates are:
In file included from /usr/include/c++/4.9/map:61:0,
from 1:
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:629:7: note: std::pair<typename std::_Rb_tree<_Key, std::pair<const _Key, _Tp>, std::_Select1st<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >, _Compare, typename __gnu_cxx::__alloc_traits<_Alloc>::rebind<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >::other>::iterator, bool> std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::insert(const value_type&) [with _Key = std::tuple<int, int>; _Tp = int; _Compare = std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >; _Alloc = std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >; typename std::_Rb_tree<_Key, std::pair<const _Key, _Tp>, std::_Select1st<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >, _Compare, typename __gnu_cxx::__alloc_traits<_Alloc>::rebind<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >::other>::iterator = std::_Rb_tree_iterator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >; std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::value_type = std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int>]
insert(const value_type& __x)
^
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:629:7: note: candidate expects 1 argument, 2 provided
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:637:9: note: template<class _Pair, class> std::pair<typename std::_Rb_tree<_Key, std::pair<const _Key, _Tp>, std::_Select1st<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >, _Compare, typename __gnu_cxx::__alloc_traits<_Alloc>::rebind<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >::other>::iterator, bool> std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::insert(_Pair&&) [with _Pair = _Pair; <template-parameter-2-2> = <template-parameter-1-2>; _Key = std::tuple<int, int>; _Tp = int; _Compare = std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >; _Alloc = std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >]
insert(_Pair&& __x)
^
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:637:9: note: template argument deduction/substitution failed:
14:9: note: candidate expects 1 argument, 2 provided
In file included from /usr/include/c++/4.9/map:61:0,
from 1:
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:650:7: note: void std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::insert(std::initializer_list<std::pair<const _Key, _Tp> >) [with _Key = std::tuple<int, int>; _Tp = int; _Compare = std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >; _Alloc = std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >]
insert(std::initializer_list<value_type> __list)
^
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:650:7: note: candidate expects 1 argument, 2 provided
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:679:7: note: std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::iterator std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::insert(std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::const_iterator, const value_type&) [with _Key = std::tuple<int, int>; _Tp = int; _Compare = std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >; _Alloc = std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >; std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::iterator = std::_Rb_tree_iterator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >; std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::const_iterator = std::_Rb_tree_const_iterator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >; std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::value_type = std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int>]
insert(const_iterator __position, const value_type& __x)
^
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:679:7: note: no known conversion for argument 2 from 'int' to 'const value_type& {aka const std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int>&}'
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:690:9: note: template<class _Pair, class> std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::iterator std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::insert(std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::const_iterator, _Pair&&) [with _Pair = _Pair; <template-parameter-2-2> = <template-parameter-1-2>; _Key = std::tuple<int, int>; _Tp = int; _Compare = std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >; _Alloc = std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >]
insert(const_iterator __position, _Pair&& __x)
^
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:690:9: note: template argument deduction/substitution failed:
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:686:32: error: no type named 'type' in 'struct std::enable_if<false, void>'
template<typename _Pair, typename = typename
^
/usr/include/c++/4.9/bits/stl_map.h:705:9: note: template<class _InputIterator> void std::map<_Key, _Tp, _Compare, _Alloc>::insert(_InputIterator, _InputIterator) [with _InputIterator = _InputIterator; _Key = std::tuple<int, int>; _Tp = int; _Compare = std::less<std::tuple<int, int> >; _Alloc = std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tuple<int, int>, int> >]
insert(_InputIterator __first, _InputIterator __last)
^

Answer 1

The error is inside your lambda:
auto range = cache.equal_range(t);
...
... cache.insert(range.first, func(args...)) ...
and is
14:9: error: no matching function for call to
'std::map<std::tuple<int, int>, int,...>
::insert(std::_Rb_tree_iterator<...>&, int)'
It's telling you that you're calling insert wrongly.
The range returned from equal_range is a pair of iterators - you need to dereference the first iterator and take the first (key) element, to get the key/value pair you want. That is, something like
cache.insert(range.first, make_pair(t, func(args...)))
In general, you can help yourself figure these errors out by:
simplifying your code (these big compound statements mean lots of things are happening, and there's lots of potential errors, on a single line),
by reading the error message carefully (it does list the column, and does say the problem is with insert,
and if all else fails by reproducing the error in a minimal example (removing code unrelated to the error reduces the number of issues to consider).