DeepLearningOpenCpp 2.1.0

DeepLearningOpenCpp NuGet package

As it was pointed out by Michael Nielsen in his book Neural Networks and Deep Learning:

"In many parts of science – especially those parts that deal with simple phenomena – it’s possible to obtain very solid, very reliable evidence for quite general hypotheses. But in neural networks there are large numbers of parameters and hyper-parameters, and extremely complex interactions between them. In such extraordinarily complex systems it’s exceedingly difficult to establish reliable general statements. Understanding neural networks in their full generality is a problem that, like quantum foundations, tests the limits of the human mind."

This project, which was mostly inspired by the book by Michael Nielsen, is pursuing two main goals:

1. provide an open source C++ framework for developing and experimenting with neural network-based algorithms;
2. develop a high performance open source C++ library/NuGet package of machine learning algorithms.

A source-only native NuGet package that ships the headers (.h, .inl) and sources (.cpp) of the DeepLearning project. The package injects them into the consumer's C++ project so the consumer's own compiler / toolset builds the library — eliminating MSVC ABI and STL-version drift concerns inherent to prebuilt static libraries.

• Package id: DeepLearningOpenCpp
• Language standard: C++20 (/std:c++20 /permissive- enforced on consumer)
• Transitive dependency: msgpack-c-cpp-3.1.1-winsoft666 ([1.0.0.2, ))

Installation

In a native C++ project (.vcxproj):

Install-Package DeepLearningOpenCpp

or add to packages.config:

<package id="DeepLearningOpenCpp" version="1.0.0" targetFramework="native" />
<package id="msgpack-c-cpp-3.1.1-winsoft666" version="1.0.0.2" targetFramework="native" />

After NuGet restore, the package will:

1. Add build\native\include\ to AdditionalIncludeDirectories.
2. Add every shipped .cpp to the project's ClCompile items (with <PrecompiledHeader>NotUsing</PrecompiledHeader>).
3. Set <LanguageStandard>stdcpp20, <ConformanceMode>true.
4. Conditionally append USE_AVX2; and USE_SINGLE_PRECISION; to PreprocessorDefinitions, and set <EnableEnhancedInstructionSet> to AdvancedVectorExtensions2 when AVX2 is enabled.

Opt-out properties

Both feature defines are on by default. To disable, set the corresponding MSBuild property to false in your .vcxproj (in the top-level PropertyGroup) or in a Directory.Build.props:

Example:

<PropertyGroup Label="DeepLearningOpenCpp">
  <DeepLearningUseAvx2>false</DeepLearningUseAvx2>
  <DeepLearningUseSinglePrecision>false</DeepLearningUseSinglePrecision>
</PropertyGroup>

Migrating TrainingCell from <ProjectReference> to the NuGet package

In TrainingCell\TrainingCell.vcxproj, remove the project reference:

<ProjectReference Include="..\DeepLearning\DeepLearning\DeepLearning.vcxproj">
  <Project>{50160b3b-7ff2-43c0-b650-54332ef4fa75}</Project>
</ProjectReference>

…and add the package to packages.config (or via Install-Package). The git submodule that pulls DeepLearning can then be removed.

Versioning

The package version is inferred from the most recent Git tag of the form v<MAJOR>.<MINOR>.<PATCH> (e.g. v1.0.0 → 1.0.0). The CI workflow publishes to nuget.org only on v* tag pushes; other pushes produce a CI prerelease (<base>-ci.<run_number>) artifact for inspection.

Toolset

The CI runner uses windows-2022 with VCToolsVersion=14.44.35207 pinned. This is informational only — because the package is source-only the consumer's local toolset is what compiles the code.

Troubleshooting

• cl : Command line error D8016 : '/arch:AVX2' and '/arch:...' incompatible Set <DeepLearningUseAvx2>false</DeepLearningUseAvx2> or remove the conflicting /arch: flag from the consumer project.
• PCH errors on injected .cpp files: ensure the consumer project does not force <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader> globally via <ItemDefinitionGroup>. The package sets NotUsing per-file but a later <ItemDefinitionGroup> could override it.
• Missing msgpack headers: confirm the msgpack-c-cpp-3.1.1-winsoft666 transitive dependency restored; check packages\ directory.