All arguments to _remote should be optional. Currently args and kwargs are required.

[robertnishihara]

No description provided.

[zbarry]

Since this is tagged "good first issue", would you mind elaborating a little bit on what _remote is referring to? Doesn't appear to be func.remote().

[virtualluke]

From the source code in ray/remote_function.py :

def _remote(self,
                args=None,
                kwargs=None,
                num_return_vals=None,
                num_cpus=None,
                num_gpus=None,
                resources=None):
        """An experimental alternate way to submit remote functions."""

This allows setting those parameters in the remote call, vs decoration of the function.

[zbarry]

Ok, cool. So this would be a nicer way of implementing:

def blah(arg):
    return thing

ray.remote(blah)(num_cpus=10000).remote(arg)

Where the alternative to having to hard code the number of CPUs in the decorator is just to not use it as a decorator?

E: sorry just a bit confused re: "optional", because given this code:

    def _remote(self,
                args=None,
                kwargs=None,
                num_return_vals=None,
                num_cpus=None,
                num_gpus=None,
                resources=None):
        """An experimental alternate way to submit remote functions."""
        worker = ray.worker.get_global_worker()
        worker.check_connected()

        if self._last_export_session < worker._session_index:
            # If this function was exported in a previous session, we need to
            # export this function again, because current GCS doesn't have it.
            self._last_export_session = worker._session_index
            worker.function_actor_manager.export(self)

        kwargs = {} if kwargs is None else kwargs
        args = ray.signature.extend_args(self._function_signature, args,
                                         kwargs)

It looks like kwargs is indeed optional. args, though, is gonna error on the extend_args call, but I guess you can just follow the kwargs implementation above and say args = [] if args is None else args.

[robertnishihara]

@justinwyang has been working on this in #4305.

@zbarry that's exactly right. And you're right it is already optional for remote function invocations. However, it isn't for actor creation and actor method invocation.