How to avoid global variables and extern.

[StephQ]

I'm facing the following problem: I'm using the Gnu Scientific Library
(it is a C math library), and in particular random number generation
algorithms. Example code is:

....
gsl_rng * r;
....
double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:

1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

I'm wondering if there is a better way to solve the problem in c++. I
also would like to toggle any explicit dependence in my code to the
gsl. This prompted the creation of a wrapper class like:

class RandomNumberGen erator
{
private:
gsl_rng* r;

public:

RandomNumberGen erator() ;

double generateUniform ();

};

Then I would like to have something like a unique object of this class
available everywhere that does not need to be initilized (static?)
Is it possible to accomplish this task?
Do you have some better solutions to propose?
Thank you in advance for any help.

StephQ

[Howard]

"StephQ" <as*******@mail inator.comwrote in message
news:11******** **************@ s33g2000prh.goo glegroups.com.. .

I'm facing the following problem: I'm using the Gnu Scientific Library
(it is a C math library), and in particular random number generation
algorithms. Example code is:

...
gsl_rng * r;
...
double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:

1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

How about defining r as a global variable, then declaring it as extern in
just *one* header file, and simply including that header in any
implementation file which needs to use r?

(Bad name, "r", though. Something more descriptive of its purpose, and less
likely to have a name clash with local variables, would be better.)

-Howard

[Roland Pibinger]

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:11:54 GMT, "Howard" wrote:

>"StephQ" wrote:

>gsl_rng * r;
...
double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:
1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

How about defining r as a global variable, then declaring it as extern in
just *one* header file, and simply including that header in any
implementati on file which needs to use r?

Non-const global variables have severe drawbacks and are usually not
considered good style. Since the variable is needed to '"represent"
the iteration of the random number generator algorithm' I don't think
it's a 'burden' to pass it to functions.
--
Roland Pibinger
"The best software is simple, elegant, and full of drama" - Grady Booch

[Gianni Mariani]

Roland Pibinger wrote:

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:11:54 GMT, "Howard" wrote:

>"StephQ" wrote:

>>gsl_rng * r;
...
double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:
1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

How about defining r as a global variable, then declaring it as extern in
just *one* header file, and simply including that header in any
implementati on file which needs to use r?

Non-const global variables have severe drawbacks and are usually not
considered good style. Since the variable is needed to '"represent"
the iteration of the random number generator algorithm' I don't think
it's a 'burden' to pass it to functions.

I second that.

For classes at the "applicatio n" level, I usually practice passing
around an "environmen t" class that contains resources such as a
preferences manager, logging manager and anything else like this.

In the Austria C++ alpha (http://netcabletv.org/public_releases/) there
is an Environment (at_env.h) template which does just that.

[Greg Herlihy]

On 4/26/07 11:03 AM, in article
11************* *********@s33g2 00...legr oups.com, "StephQ"
<as*******@mail inator.comwrote :

I'm facing the following problem: I'm using the Gnu Scientific Library
(it is a C math library), and in particular random number generation
algorithms. Example code is:

...

gsl_rng * r;
...

double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:

1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

Why not implement a function that wraps the library routine:

double GenerateRandomN umber()
{
static gsl_rng * r = NULL;

return gsl_rng_uniform ( r);
}

Greg

[Jim Langston]

"StephQ" <as*******@mail inator.comwrote in message
news:11******** **************@ s33g2000prh.goo glegroups.com.. .

I'm facing the following problem: I'm using the Gnu Scientific Library
(it is a C math library), and in particular random number generation
algorithms. Example code is:

...
gsl_rng * r;
...
double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:

1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

I'm wondering if there is a better way to solve the problem in c++. I
also would like to toggle any explicit dependence in my code to the
gsl. This prompted the creation of a wrapper class like:

class RandomNumberGen erator
{
private:
gsl_rng* r;

public:

RandomNumberGen erator() ;

double generateUniform ();

};

Then I would like to have something like a unique object of this class
available everywhere that does not need to be initilized (static?)
Is it possible to accomplish this task?
Do you have some better solutions to propose?
Thank you in advance for any help.

class RandomNumberGen erator
{
public:
double GenerateUniform () { return gsl_rng_uniform (&Seed) };
private:
static gsl_rng Seed;
};

gsl_rng RandomNumberGen erator::Seed = 0;

Notice, Seed is declared as an instance, not as a pointer. gsl_rng_uniform
needs the address of the variable which is accomplished by passing the
address of seed. In your sample you never allocated storage for r.

[Jim Langston]

"Greg Herlihy" <gr****@pacbell .netwrote in message
news:C2******** **********@pacb ell.net...

>
On 4/26/07 11:03 AM, in article
11************* *********@s33g2 00...legr oups.com, "StephQ"
<as*******@mail inator.comwrote :

>I'm facing the following problem: I'm using the Gnu Scientific Library
(it is a C math library), and in particular random number generation
algorithms. Example code is:

...

gsl_rng * r;
...

double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:

1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

Why not implement a function that wraps the library routine:

double GenerateRandomN umber()
{
static gsl_rng * r = NULL;

return gsl_rng_uniform ( r);
}

Yes, this would work better than a class, IMO. Just have a static variable
in a function. Of course it should probably be:

double GenerateRandomN umber()
{
static gsl_rng r = 0;
return gsl_rng_uniform (&r);
}

or whatever you initialize gsl_rng with.

[anon]

Jim Langston wrote:

"StephQ" <as*******@mail inator.comwrote in message
news:11******** **************@ s33g2000prh.goo glegroups.com.. .

>I'm facing the following problem: I'm using the Gnu Scientific Library
(it is a C math library), and in particular random number generation
algorithms. Example code is:

...
gsl_rng * r;
...
double u = gsl_rng_uniform (r);

The problem is that r "represent" the iteration of the random number
generator algorithm, so it needs to be accessible every time you need
to generate a new random number. In C you can solve the problem by:

1) passing r to every function that needs to generate random numbers
(a burden....)
2) define r as global variable and use extern in evey file (not very
elegant)

I'm wondering if there is a better way to solve the problem in c++. I
also would like to toggle any explicit dependence in my code to the
gsl. This prompted the creation of a wrapper class like:

class RandomNumberGen erator
{
private:
gsl_rng* r;

public:

RandomNumberGen erator() ;

double generateUniform ();

};

Then I would like to have something like a unique object of this class
available everywhere that does not need to be initilized (static?)
Is it possible to accomplish this task?
Do you have some better solutions to propose?
Thank you in advance for any help.

class RandomNumberGen erator
{
public:
double GenerateUniform () { return gsl_rng_uniform (&Seed) };

Would it be better to make this static as well? Then you wouldn't have
to create objects of this class.

private:
static gsl_rng Seed;
};

gsl_rng RandomNumberGen erator::Seed = 0;

Notice, Seed is declared as an instance, not as a pointer. gsl_rng_uniform
needs the address of the variable which is accomplished by passing the
address of seed. In your sample you never allocated storage for r.

[StephQ]

class RandomNumberGen erator

{
public:
double GenerateUniform () { return gsl_rng_uniform (&Seed) };

Would it be better to make this static as well? Then you wouldn't have
to create objects of this class.

private:
static gsl_rng Seed;
};

gsl_rng RandomNumberGen erator::Seed = 0;

Do you see any evident problem in the the following solution?

class RandomNumber
{
private:
const gsl_rng_type* T;
gsl_rng* r;

public:

RandomNumber() ;

// Uniform random number generator.
double generateUniform ();

// Distributions random number generators.
double generateGaussia n(double mu, double sigma);

......

};

static RandomNumber randomNumber;

I would like to avoid passing r around because:
1) it's related to the use of the gsl library. And I would like to be
felixible about the library used for random number generation.
2) in stochastic simulations too many algorithms depend on the
generations of random numbers. I would really have to pass r even to
class constructors and so on.....

p.s. I know it is not a good name, r. It was just an example from the
gsl documentation :)

Thank you
StephQ

[anon]

StephQ wrote:

>>class RandomNumberGen erator
{
public:
double GenerateUniform () { return gsl_rng_uniform (&Seed) };

Would it be better to make this static as well? Then you wouldn't have
to create objects of this class.

>>private:
static gsl_rng Seed;
};
gsl_rng RandomNumberGen erator::Seed = 0;

Do you see any evident problem in the the following solution?

class RandomNumber
{
private:
const gsl_rng_type* T;
gsl_rng* r;

public:

RandomNumber() ;

// Uniform random number generator.
double generateUniform ();

// Distributions random number generators.
double generateGaussia n(double mu, double sigma);

......

};

static RandomNumber randomNumber;

I would like to avoid passing r around because:
1) it's related to the use of the gsl library. And I would like to be
felixible about the library used for random number generation.
2) in stochastic simulations too many algorithms depend on the
generations of random numbers. I would really have to pass r even to
class constructors and so on.....

So, you want to use the solution from Greg Herlihy:
double GenerateRandomN umber()
{
static gsl_rng * r = NULL;

return gsl_rng_uniform ( r);
}

Or you can put this function to a class, and declare it static, you will
not have to pass your r to constructor:
/// in the header file
class RandomNumber
{
public:
static double generate();
}

/// in the cpp file
double RandomNumber::g enerate()
{
static gsl_rng * r = NULL;
return gsl_rng_uniform ( r );
}

You can call it like:
RandomNumber::g enerate()
from any file including RandomNumber header file