Initial commit.

Author: kellertuer

Project.toml

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+name = "AlgorithmInterface"
+uuid = "125df6b2-f2b1-44d3-9e4a-6c50c163a640"
+authors = ["Ronny Bergmann <git@ronnybergmann.net>"]
+version = "0.1.0"

Readme.md

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+# AlgorithmInterface.jl
+
+`AlgorithmInterface.jl` is a Julia package tp provide a common interface to run iterative tasks. **Algorith** here refers to an iterative sequence of commands, that are run until a certain stopping criterion is met.
+
+# Statement of need
+
+A first approach to algorithms is a simple for-loop for a maxiimum number of iterations.
+Using an interface instead allows to both specify different criteria to stop easily, even in their combination.
+Furthermore a generic interface allows to both “hok into” an algorithm easily as well as combining them.
+
+A common interface for algorithms allows to reuse common code – especially stopping criteria, but especially also logging, debug, recording, and caching capabilities. Finally, a common interface also allows to easily combine existing algorithms, hence enhancing interoperability, for example using one algorithm as a sub routine of another one.
+
+# Main features
+
+We consider solving _Tasks_, which consist of a
+
+* `Problem` to solve, which constains all information that is static to the problem and usually does not change during the iterations, this might for example be a cost function and its gradient in an optimisation problem
+* An `AlgorithmState` that both specifies which algorithm to use to _solve_ the problem, but also stores all parameters that an algorithm needs as well as everything the algorithm needs to store between two iterations.
+
+This generic data structures are accompanied by the methods
+
+* `step!(problem::Problem, state::AlgorithmState, k)` to perform the `k`th iteration of the algorithm.
+* `solve!(problem::Problem, state::AlgorithmState)` to solve a problem with a given algorithm, which is identified by the `AlgorithmState`.
+* `stop(problem::Problem, state::AlgorithmState)` to check whether the algorithm should stop.
+
+where the first is the main one to implement for a new algorithm.

src/AlgorithmInterface.jl

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+module AlgorithmInterface
+
+end # module AlgorithmInterface