python/README.md

# Python Wrapper for Datasketches

## Installation

The release files do not include the needed python binding library ([pybind11](https://github.com/pybind/pybind11)). If building
from a relase package, you must ensure that the pybind11 directory points to a local copy of pybind11.

An official pypi build is eventually planned but not yet available.

If you instead want to take a (possibly ill-advised) gamble on the current state of the master branch being useable, you can run:
```pip install git+https://github.com/apache/incubator-datasketches-cpp.git```

## Developer Instructions

### Building

When cloning the source repository, you should include the pybind11 submodule with the `--recursive` option to the clone command:
```
git clone --recursive https://github.com/apache/incubator-datasketches-cpp.git
cd incubator-datasketches-cpp
python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel numpy
python setup.py build
```

If you cloned without `--recursive`, you can add the submodule post-checkout using `git submodule update --init --recursive`.

### Installing

Assuming you have already checked out the library and any dependent submodules, install by simply replacing the lsat
line of the build command with `python setup.py install`.

### Unit tests

The python tests are run with `tox`. To ensure you have all the needed packages, from the package base directory run:
```
python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel numpy tox
tox
```

## Usage

Having installed the library, loading the Datasketches library in Python is simple: `import datasketches`.

## Available Sketch Classes

- KLL
    - `kll_ints_sketch`
    - `kll_floats_sketch`
- Frequent Items
    - `frequent_strings_sketch`
    - Error types are `frequent_items_error_type.{NO_FALSE_NEGATIVES | NO_FALSE_POSITIVES}`
- Theta
    - `update_theta_sketch`
    - `compact_theta_sketch` (cannot be instantiated directly)
    - `theta_union`
    - `theta_intersection`
    - `theta_a_not_b`
- HLL
    - `hll_sketch`
    - `hll_union`
    - Target HLL types are `tgt_hll_type.{HLL_4 | HLL_6 | HLL_8}`
- CPC
    - `cpc_sketch`
    - `cpc_union`
- VarOpt Sampling
    - `var_opt_sketch`
    - `var_opt_union`

## Known Differences from C++

The Python API largely mirrors the C++ API, with a few minor exceptions: The primary known differences are that Python on modern platforms does not support unsigned integer values or numeric values with fewer than 64 bits. As a result, you may not be able to produce identical sketches from within Python as you can with Java and C++. Loading those sketches after they have been serialized from another language will work as expected.

We have also removed reliance on a builder class for theta sketches as Python allows named arguments to the constructor, not strictly positional arguments.