pyro-ppl/pyro

Using Python type hints

Open

#2550 opened on Jul 6, 2020

View on GitHub
 (7 comments) (7 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (8,211 stars) (981 forks)batch import
enhancementgood first issuetestingusabilitywarnings & errors

Description

Since Pyro supports exclusively Python 3, we should look into adding type hints. This has a few advantages:

  • pep8 linters can check for type errors
  • easier for a reader to understand function signatures. useful for eg funsor where multiple dispatching is prevalent.
  • sphinx docs can autogenerate types of args
  • IDE static analysis tools will work (better)

e.g.

from typing import List, Optional

def foo(bar: List, baz: Optional[List] = None) -> List:
    return bar

Add type hints to modules

  • contrib
  • distributions
  • distributions.transforms
  • distributions.constraints
  • infer
  • nn
    • #3337
    • #3342
  • ops
  • optim #2853
  • params #3271
  • poutine
    • #3321
    • #3312
    • #3309
    • #3308
    • #3306
    • #3299
    • #3295
    • #3292
    • #3290
    • #3288
  • scripts
  • tests.test_primitives
  • tests.test_generic (low priority)
  • tests.poutine
  • tests.ops
  • tests.optim
  • tests.perf
  • tests.nn
  • tests.infer
  • tests.distributions
  • tests.contrib

Additional functionality for type hints

  • Give warnings on #type ignore in codebase Grey might be a good idea for finding #type ignores
  • Give warnings on modules skipped by mypy

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
developer experiencedocumentation
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Python type hintsBasic knowledge of Pyro
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
Start by selecting an uncompleted module from the checklist, such as 'contrib' or 'distributions'. Examine completed examples like PR #3337 for 'nn' to understand the expected pattern. Ensure type hints are added to all functions and classes following Python's typing module conventions. After adding, run mypy to verify no errors.