Source file: loops.fut

Loops

Futhark does not directly support recursive functions, but instead provides syntax for expressing sequential loops.

def x =
  loop acc = 0 for i < 10 do
    acc * 2 + i

In this loop, acc is the loop parameter, which is initialised to the value 0. We then evaluate the loop body acc * 2 + i ten times with i bound to 0, 1, …, 9. The loop body returns a new value for acc. At the end of the final iteration, the loop parameter is returned and bound to x with a normal let binding.

The loop parameter can be any pattern:

def xy =
  loop (x, y) = (1,1) for i < 10 do
    (y, x + y)

The result of this loop is a pair. We could also have written it as follows:

def xy' =
  loop p = (1,1) for i < 10 do
    (p.1, p.0 + p.1)

Apart from for loops, Futhark also supports for-in loops:

def max =
  loop cur = 0 for x in [4,7,4,8,2,6,4,5] do
    if x > cur then x else cur

And while loops:

def res =
  loop (i, acc) = (0, 53) while acc > 0 do
    (i + 1, acc / 2)

loop results in entirely sequential execution. In most cases it’s better to use a parallel operation like map, reduce, or scan.