edu.udo.cs.yale.operator.meta
Class ParameterCloner

java.lang.Object
  edu.udo.cs.yale.operator.Operator
      edu.udo.cs.yale.operator.meta.ParameterCloner

All Implemented Interfaces:

ConfigurationListener

public class ParameterCloner
extends Operator

Sets a list of parameters using existing parameter values.
The operator is similar to ParameterSetter, but differs from that in not requiring a ParameterSet input. It simply reads a parameter value from a source and uses it to set the parameter value of a target parameter. Both, source and target, are given in the format 'operator'.'parameter'.
This operator is more general than ParameterSetter and could completely replace it. It is most useful, if you need a parameter which is optimized more than once within the optimization loop - ParameterSetter cannot be used here.
These parameters can either be generated by a ParameterOptimizationOperator or read by a ParameterSetLoader. This operator is useful, e.g. in the following scenario. If one wants to find the best parameters for a certain learning scheme, one usually is also interested in the model generated with this parameters. While the first is easily possible using a ParameterOptimizationOperator, the latter is not possible because the ParameterOptimizationOperator does not return the IOObjects produced within, but only a parameter set. This is, because the parameter optimization operator knows nothing about models, but only about the performance vectors produced within. Producing performance vectors does not necessarily require a model.
To solve this problem, one can use a ParameterSetter. Usually, an experiment with a ParameterSetter contains at least two operators of the same type, typically a learner. One learner may be an inner operator of the ParameterOptimizationOperator and may be named "Learner", whereas a second learner of the same type named "OptimalLearner" follows the parameter optimization and should use the optimal parameter set found by the optimization. In order to make the ParameterSetter set the optimal parameters of the right operator, one must specify its name. Therefore, the parameter list name_map was introduced. Each parameter in this list maps the name of an operator that was used during optimization (in our case this is "Learner") to an operator that should now use these parameters (in our case this is "OptimalLearner").

Version:

$Id: ParameterCloner.java,v 1.9 2006/08/03 14:39:34 ingomierswa Exp $

Author:

Robert Rudolph

Field Summary

private static java.lang.Class[]	INPUT_CLASSES
private static java.lang.Class[]	OUTPUT_CLASSES

Constructor Summary

ParameterCloner(OperatorDescription description)

Method Summary

IOObject[]	apply() Implement this method in subclasses.
java.lang.Class[]	getInputClasses() Returns the classes that are needed as input.
java.lang.Class[]	getOutputClasses() Returns the classes that are guaranteed to be returned by apply() as additional output.
java.util.List<ParameterType>	getParameterTypes() Returns a list of ParameterTypes describing the parameters of this operator.

Methods inherited from class edu.udo.cs.yale.operator.Operator

addError, addValue, addWarning, apply, checkDeprecations, checkIO, checkProperties, clearErrorList, cloneOperator, createExperimentTree, createExperimentTree, createFromXML, createMarkedExperimentTree, delete, experimentFinished, experimentStarts, getAddOnlyAdditionalOutput, getApplyCount, getDeliveredOutputClasses, getDeprecationInfo, getDesiredInputClasses, getErrorList, getExperiment, getInnerOperatorsXML, getInput, getInput, getInput, getInputDescription, getIOContainerForInApplyLoopBreakpoint, getName, getNumberOfSteps, getOperatorClassName, getOperatorDescription, getParameter, getParameterAsBoolean, getParameterAsColor, getParameterAsDouble, getParameterAsFile, getParameterAsInt, getParameterAsString, getParameterList, getParameters, getParameterType, getParent, getStartTime, getStatus, getUserDescription, getValue, getValues, getXML, hasBreakpoint, hasBreakpoint, hasInput, inApplyLoop, isEnabled, isParameterSet, logMessage, performAdditionalChecks, register, remove, rename, resume, setBreakpoint, setEnabled, setExperiment, setInput, setListParameter, setOperatorParameters, setParameter, setParameters, setParent, setUserDescription, toString, writeXML

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

Field Detail

INPUT_CLASSES

private static final java.lang.Class[] INPUT_CLASSES

OUTPUT_CLASSES

private static final java.lang.Class[] OUTPUT_CLASSES

Constructor Detail

ParameterCloner

public ParameterCloner(OperatorDescription description)

Method Detail

apply

public IOObject[] apply()
                 throws OperatorException

Description copied from class: Operator

Implement this method in subclasses.

Specified by:

apply in class Operator

Throws:

OperatorException

getInputClasses

public java.lang.Class[] getInputClasses()

Description copied from class: Operator

Returns the classes that are needed as input. May be null or an empty (no desired input). As default, all delivered input objects are consumed and must be also delivered as output in both Operator.getOutputClasses() and Operator.apply() if this is necessary. This default behavior can be changed by overriding Operator.getInputDescription(Class). Subclasses which implement this method should not make use of parameters since this method is invoked by getParameterTypes(). Therefore, parameters are not fully available at this point of time and this might lead to exceptions. Please use InputDescriptions instead.

Specified by:

getInputClasses in class Operator

getOutputClasses

public java.lang.Class[] getOutputClasses()

Description copied from class: Operator

Returns the classes that are guaranteed to be returned by apply() as additional output. Please note that input object which should not be consumed must also be defined by this method (e.g. for preprocessing operators). The default behavior for input consumation is defined by Operator.getInputDescription(Class) and can be changed by overwriting this method. Objects which are not consumed must not be defined as additional output in this method. May be null or an empy array (no additional output is produced).

Specified by:

getOutputClasses in class Operator

getParameterTypes

public java.util.List<ParameterType> getParameterTypes()

Description copied from class: Operator

Returns a list of ParameterTypes describing the parameters of this operator. The default implementation returns an empty list if no input objects can be retained and special parameters for those input objects which can be prevented from being consumed.

Overrides:

getParameterTypes in class Operator