JuliaDiff / JuliaDiff/FiniteDiff.jl

scalar -> vector and vector -> scalar control flow

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Dominant language
Julia
Stars
304
Forks
42
Avg merge
24m
Merged PRs (30d)
2

Description

Currently derivatives of functions with scalar inputs and vector outputs are called gradients, and the control flow is mixed in with
vector -> scalar functions.
In my opinion, this is confusing and error-prone.

Additionally, for the former an in-place f! can make sense while for the latter it does not.

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Research direction

Start by reviewing the existing derivative APIs for scalar-to-vector and vector-to-scalar functions. Determine how their control flow is currently shared and whether in-place variants are exposed. Done means the two cases have a clear, agreed separation and the relevant API behavior is covered by tests.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
julia
Domain
backend
Issue type
Refactor
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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