job-shop-lib 1.0.0a4__py3-none-any.whl → 1.0.0b1__py3-none-any.whl

job_shop_lib/__init__.py

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ from job_shop_lib._schedule import Schedule
 from job_shop_lib._base_solver import BaseSolver, Solver
 
 
+__version__ = "1.0.0-b.1"
+
 __all__ = [
     "Operation",
     "JobShopInstance",
@@ -26,4 +28,5 @@ __all__ = [
     "Schedule",
     "Solver",
     "BaseSolver",
+    "__version__",
 ]

job_shop_lib/_job_shop_instance.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import os
 import functools
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, List, Union, Dict
 
 import numpy as np
 from numpy.typing import NDArray
@@ -51,14 +51,14 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         total_duration
 
     Attributes:
-        jobs (list[list[Operation]]):
+        jobs (List[List[Operation]]):
             A list of lists of operations. Each list of operations represents
             a job, and the operations are ordered by their position in the job.
-            The ``job_id``, ``position_in_job``, and `operation_id` attributes
-            of the operations are set when the instance is created.
+            The ``job_id``, ``position_in_job``, and ``operation_id``
+            attributes of the operations are set when the instance is created.
         name (str):
             A string with the name of the instance.
-        metadata (dict[str, Any]):
+        metadata (Dict[str, Any]):
             A dictionary with additional information about the instance.
 
     Args:
@@ -81,16 +81,16 @@ class JobShopInstance:
 
     def __init__(
         self,
-        jobs: list[list[Operation]],
+        jobs: List[List[Operation]],
         name: str = "JobShopInstance",
         set_operation_attributes: bool = True,
         **metadata: Any,
     ):
-        self.jobs: list[list[Operation]] = jobs
+        self.jobs: List[List[Operation]] = jobs
         if set_operation_attributes:
             self.set_operation_attributes()
         self.name: str = name
-        self.metadata: dict[str, Any] = metadata
+        self.metadata: Dict[str, Any] = metadata
 
     def set_operation_attributes(self):
         """Sets the ``job_id``, ``position_in_job``, and ``operation_id``
@@ -125,10 +125,10 @@ class JobShopInstance:
     @classmethod
     def from_taillard_file(
         cls,
-        file_path: os.PathLike | str | bytes,
+        file_path: Union[os.PathLike, str, bytes],
         encoding: str = "utf-8",
         comment_symbol: str = "#",
-        name: str | None = None,
+        name: Union[str, None] = None,
         **metadata: Any,
     ) -> JobShopInstance:
         """Creates a JobShopInstance from a file following Taillard's format.
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
                 name = name.split(".")[0]
         return cls(jobs=jobs, name=name, **metadata)
 
-    def to_dict(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    def to_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Returns a dictionary representation of the instance.
 
         This representation is useful for saving the instance to a JSON file,
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         like Taillard's.
 
         Returns:
-            dict[str, Any]: The returned dictionary has the following
+            Dict[str, Any]: The returned dictionary has the following
             structure:
 
             .. code-block:: python
@@ -208,10 +208,10 @@ class JobShopInstance:
     @classmethod
     def from_matrices(
         cls,
-        duration_matrix: list[list[int]],
-        machines_matrix: list[list[list[int]]] | list[list[int]],
+        duration_matrix: List[List[int]],
+        machines_matrix: List[List[List[int]]] | List[List[int]],
         name: str = "JobShopInstance",
-        metadata: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+        metadata: Dict[str, Any] | None = None,
     ) -> JobShopInstance:
         """Creates a :class:`JobShopInstance` from duration and machines
         matrices.
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         Returns:
             A :class:`JobShopInstance` object.
         """
-        jobs: list[list[Operation]] = [[] for _ in range(len(duration_matrix))]
+        jobs: List[List[Operation]] = [[] for _ in range(len(duration_matrix))]
 
         num_jobs = len(duration_matrix)
         for job_id in range(num_jobs):
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         )
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def durations_matrix(self) -> list[list[int]]:
+    def durations_matrix(self) -> List[List[int]]:
         """Returns the duration matrix of the instance.
 
         The duration of the operation with ``job_id`` i and ``position_in_job``
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         return [[operation.duration for operation in job] for job in self.jobs]
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def machines_matrix(self) -> list[list[list[int]]] | list[list[int]]:
+    def machines_matrix(self) -> Union[List[List[List[int]]], List[List[int]]]:
         """Returns the machines matrix of the instance.
 
         If the instance is flexible (i.e., if any operation has more than one
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
             >>> jobs = [[Operation(0, 2), Operation(1, 3)], [Operation(0, 4)]]
             >>> instance = JobShopInstance(jobs)
             >>> instance.durations_matrix_array
-            array([[ 2.,  2.],
+            array([[ 2.,  3.],
                    [ 4., nan]], dtype=float32)
         """
         duration_matrix = self.durations_matrix
@@ -358,8 +358,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
 
         Example:
             >>> jobs = [
-            ...     [Operation(machines=[0, 1], 2), Operation(machines=1, 3)],
-            ...     [Operation(machines=0, 6)],
+            ...     [Operation([0, 1], 2), Operation(1, 3)], [Operation(0, 6)]
             ... ]
             >>> instance = JobShopInstance(jobs)
             >>> instance.machines_matrix_array
@@ -372,25 +371,25 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         machines_matrix = self.machines_matrix
         if self.is_flexible:
             # False positive from mypy, the type of machines_matrix is
-            # list[list[list[int]]] here
+            # List[List[List[int]]] here
             return self._fill_matrix_with_nans_3d(
                 machines_matrix  # type: ignore[arg-type]
             )
 
         # False positive from mypy, the type of machines_matrix is
-        # list[list[int]] here
+        # List[List[int]] here
         return self._fill_matrix_with_nans_2d(
             machines_matrix  # type: ignore[arg-type]
         )
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def operations_by_machine(self) -> list[list[Operation]]:
+    def operations_by_machine(self) -> List[List[Operation]]:
         """Returns a list of lists of operations.
 
         The i-th list contains the operations that can be processed in the
         machine with id i.
         """
-        operations_by_machine: list[list[Operation]] = [
+        operations_by_machine: List[List[Operation]] = [
             [] for _ in range(self.num_machines)
         ]
         for job in self.jobs:
@@ -410,7 +409,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         )
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def max_duration_per_job(self) -> list[float]:
+    def max_duration_per_job(self) -> List[float]:
         """Returns the maximum duration of each job in the instance.
 
         The maximum duration of the job with id i is stored in the i-th
@@ -421,7 +420,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         return [max(op.duration for op in job) for job in self.jobs]
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def max_duration_per_machine(self) -> list[int]:
+    def max_duration_per_machine(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the maximum duration of each machine in the instance.
 
         The maximum duration of the machine with id i is stored in the i-th
@@ -440,7 +439,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         return max_duration_per_machine
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def job_durations(self) -> list[int]:
+    def job_durations(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns a list with the duration of each job in the instance.
 
         The duration of a job is the sum of the durations of its operations.
@@ -451,7 +450,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
         return [sum(op.duration for op in job) for job in self.jobs]
 
     @functools.cached_property
-    def machine_loads(self) -> list[int]:
+    def machine_loads(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the total machine load of each machine in the instance.
 
         The total machine load of a machine is the sum of the durations of the
@@ -475,7 +474,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
 
     @staticmethod
     def _fill_matrix_with_nans_2d(
-        matrix: list[list[int]],
+        matrix: List[List[int]],
     ) -> NDArray[np.float32]:
         """Fills a matrix with ``np.nan`` values.
 
@@ -497,7 +496,7 @@ class JobShopInstance:
 
     @staticmethod
     def _fill_matrix_with_nans_3d(
-        matrix: list[list[list[int]]],
+        matrix: List[List[List[int]]],
     ) -> NDArray[np.float32]:
         """Fills a 3D matrix with ``np.nan`` values.
 
@@ -523,3 +522,9 @@ class JobShopInstance:
             for j, inner_row in enumerate(row):
                 squared_matrix[i, j, : len(inner_row)] = inner_row
         return squared_matrix
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import doctest
+
+    doctest.testmod()

job_shop_lib/_operation.py

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from typing import Union, List
+
 from job_shop_lib.exceptions import UninitializedAttributeError
 
 
@@ -59,8 +61,8 @@ class Operation:
         ),
     }
 
-    def __init__(self, machines: int | list[int], duration: int):
-        self.machines: list[int] = (
+    def __init__(self, machines: Union[int, List[int]], duration: int):
+        self.machines: List[int] = (
             [machines] if isinstance(machines, int) else machines
         )
         self.duration: int = duration

job_shop_lib/_schedule.py

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, List, Union, Dict, Optional
 from collections import deque
 
 from job_shop_lib import ScheduledOperation, JobShopInstance
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class Schedule:
     def __init__(
         self,
         instance: JobShopInstance,
-        schedule: list[list[ScheduledOperation]] | None = None,
+        schedule: Optional[List[List[ScheduledOperation]]] = None,
         **metadata: Any,
     ):
         if schedule is None:
@@ -65,19 +65,19 @@ class Schedule:
 
         self.instance: JobShopInstance = instance
         self._schedule = schedule
-        self.metadata: dict[str, Any] = metadata
+        self.metadata: Dict[str, Any] = metadata
 
     def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return str(self.schedule)
 
     @property
-    def schedule(self) -> list[list[ScheduledOperation]]:
+    def schedule(self) -> List[List[ScheduledOperation]]:
         """A list of lists of :class:`ScheduledOperation` objects. Each list
         represents the order of operations on a machine."""
         return self._schedule
 
     @schedule.setter
-    def schedule(self, new_schedule: list[list[ScheduledOperation]]):
+    def schedule(self, new_schedule: List[List[ScheduledOperation]]):
         Schedule.check_schedule(new_schedule)
         self._schedule = new_schedule
 
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class Schedule:
                 - **"metadata"**: A dictionary with additional information
                   about the schedule.
         """
-        job_sequences: list[list[int]] = []
+        job_sequences: List[List[int]] = []
         for machine_schedule in self.schedule:
             job_sequences.append(
                 [operation.job_id for operation in machine_schedule]
@@ -117,9 +117,9 @@ class Schedule:
 
     @staticmethod
     def from_dict(
-        instance: dict[str, Any] | JobShopInstance,
-        job_sequences: list[list[int]],
-        metadata: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+        instance: Union[Dict[str, Any], JobShopInstance],
+        job_sequences: List[List[int]],
+        metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
     ) -> Schedule:
         """Creates a schedule from a dictionary representation."""
         if isinstance(instance, dict):
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ class Schedule:
     @staticmethod
     def from_job_sequences(
         instance: JobShopInstance,
-        job_sequences: list[list[int]],
+        job_sequences: List[List[int]],
     ) -> Schedule:
         """Creates an active schedule from a list of job sequences.
 
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ class Schedule:
         return previous_operation.end_time <= scheduled_operation.start_time
 
     @staticmethod
-    def check_schedule(schedule: list[list[ScheduledOperation]]):
+    def check_schedule(schedule: List[List[ScheduledOperation]]):
         """Checks if a schedule is valid and raises a
         :class:`~exceptions.ValidationError` if it is not.
 

job_shop_lib/benchmarking/_load_benchmark.py

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """Contains functions to load benchmark instances from a JSON file."""
 
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, Dict
 
 import functools
 import json
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from job_shop_lib import JobShopInstance
 
 
 @functools.cache
-def load_all_benchmark_instances() -> dict[str, JobShopInstance]:
+def load_all_benchmark_instances() -> Dict[str, JobShopInstance]:
     """Loads all benchmark instances available.
 
     Returns:
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ def load_benchmark_instance(name: str) -> JobShopInstance:
 
 
 @functools.cache
-def load_benchmark_json() -> dict[str, dict[str, Any]]:
+def load_benchmark_json() -> Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]]:
     """Loads the raw JSON file containing the benchmark instances.
 
     Results are cached to avoid reading the file multiple times.

job_shop_lib/constraint_programming/_ortools_solver.py

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Tuple
 import time
 
 from ortools.sat.python import cp_model
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ class ORToolsSolver(BaseSolver):
         self._makespan: cp_model.IntVar | None = None
         self.model = cp_model.CpModel()
         self.solver = cp_model.CpSolver()
-        self._operations_start: dict[Operation, tuple[IntVar, IntVar]] = {}
+        self._operations_start: Dict[Operation, Tuple[IntVar, IntVar]] = {}
 
     def __call__(self, instance: JobShopInstance) -> Schedule:
         """Equivalent to calling the :meth:`~ORToolsSolver.solve` method.
@@ -151,15 +152,15 @@ class ORToolsSolver(BaseSolver):
         self._set_objective(instance)
 
     def _create_schedule(
-        self, instance: JobShopInstance, metadata: dict[str, object]
+        self, instance: JobShopInstance, metadata: Dict[str, Any]
     ) -> Schedule:
         """Creates a Schedule object from the solution."""
-        operations_start: dict[Operation, int] = {
+        operations_start: Dict[Operation, int] = {
             operation: self.solver.Value(start_var)
             for operation, (start_var, _) in self._operations_start.items()
         }
 
-        unsorted_schedule: list[list[ScheduledOperation]] = [
+        unsorted_schedule: List[List[ScheduledOperation]] = [
             [] for _ in range(instance.num_machines)
         ]
         for operation, start_time in operations_start.items():
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ class ORToolsSolver(BaseSolver):
         each machine."""
 
         # Create interval variables for each operation on each machine
-        machines_operations: list[list[tuple[tuple[IntVar, IntVar], int]]] = [
+        machines_operations: List[List[Tuple[Tuple[IntVar, IntVar], int]]] = [
             [] for _ in range(instance.num_machines)
         ]
         for job in instance.jobs:

job_shop_lib/dispatching/_dispatcher.py

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import abc
-from typing import Any, TypeVar
+from typing import Any, TypeVar, List, Optional, Type, Set
 from collections.abc import Callable
 from functools import wraps
 
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class DispatcherObserver(abc.ABC):
         class HistoryObserver(DispatcherObserver):
             def __init__(self, dispatcher: Dispatcher):
                 super().__init__(dispatcher)
-                self.history: list[ScheduledOperation] = []
+                self.history: List[ScheduledOperation] = []
 
             def update(self, scheduled_operation: ScheduledOperation):
                 self.history.append(scheduled_operation)
@@ -153,6 +153,36 @@ class Dispatcher:
     responsible for scheduling the operations on the machines and keeping
     track of the next available time for each machine and job.
 
+    The core method of the class are:
+
+    .. autosummary::
+
+        dispatch
+        reset
+
+    It also provides methods to query the state of the schedule and the
+    operations:
+
+    .. autosummary::
+
+        current_time
+        available_operations
+        available_machines
+        available_jobs
+        unscheduled_operations
+        scheduled_operations
+        ongoing_operations
+        completed_operations
+        uncompleted_operations
+        is_scheduled
+        is_ongoing
+        next_operation
+        earliest_start_time
+        remaining_duration
+
+    The above methods which do not take any arguments are cached to improve
+    performance. After each scheduling operation, the cache is cleared.
+
     Args:
         instance:
             The instance of the job shop problem to be solved.
@@ -182,18 +212,18 @@ class Dispatcher:
         self,
         instance: JobShopInstance,
         ready_operations_filter: (
-            Callable[[Dispatcher, list[Operation]], list[Operation]] | None
+            Optional[Callable[[Dispatcher, List[Operation]], List[Operation]]]
         ) = None,
     ) -> None:
 
         self.instance = instance
         self.schedule = Schedule(self.instance)
         self.ready_operations_filter = ready_operations_filter
+        self.subscribers: List[DispatcherObserver] = []
 
         self._machine_next_available_time = [0] * self.instance.num_machines
         self._job_next_operation_index = [0] * self.instance.num_jobs
         self._job_next_available_time = [0] * self.instance.num_jobs
-        self.subscribers: list[DispatcherObserver] = []
         self._cache: dict[str, Any] = {}
 
     def __str__(self) -> str:
@@ -203,18 +233,18 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return str(self)
 
     @property
-    def machine_next_available_time(self) -> list[int]:
+    def machine_next_available_time(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the next available time for each machine."""
         return self._machine_next_available_time
 
     @property
-    def job_next_operation_index(self) -> list[int]:
+    def job_next_operation_index(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the index of the next operation to be scheduled for each
         job."""
         return self._job_next_operation_index
 
     @property
-    def job_next_available_time(self) -> list[int]:
+    def job_next_available_time(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the next available time for each job."""
         return self._job_next_available_time
 
@@ -236,7 +266,9 @@ class Dispatcher:
         for subscriber in self.subscribers:
             subscriber.reset()
 
-    def dispatch(self, operation: Operation, machine_id: int) -> None:
+    def dispatch(
+        self, operation: Operation, machine_id: Optional[int] = None
+    ) -> None:
         """Schedules the given operation on the given machine.
 
         The start time of the operation is computed based on the next
@@ -249,15 +281,21 @@ class Dispatcher:
                 The operation to be scheduled.
             machine_id:
                 The id of the machine on which the operation is to be
-                scheduled.
+                scheduled. If ``None``, the :class:`~job_shop_lib.Operation`'s
+                :attr:`~job_shop_lib.Operation.machine_id` attribute is used.
 
         Raises:
             ValidationError: If the operation is not ready to be scheduled.
+            UninitializedAttributeError: If the operation has multiple
+                machines in its list and no ``machine_id`` is provided.
         """
 
         if not self.is_operation_ready(operation):
             raise ValidationError("Operation is not ready to be scheduled.")
 
+        if machine_id is None:
+            machine_id = operation.machine_id
+
         start_time = self.start_time(operation, machine_id)
 
         scheduled_operation = ScheduledOperation(
@@ -325,7 +363,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
 
     def create_or_get_observer(
         self,
-        observer: type[ObserverType],
+        observer: Type[ObserverType],
         condition: Callable[[DispatcherObserver], bool] = lambda _: True,
         **kwargs,
     ) -> ObserverType:
@@ -364,7 +402,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         current_time = self.min_start_time(available_operations)
         return current_time
 
-    def min_start_time(self, operations: list[Operation]) -> int:
+    def min_start_time(self, operations: List[Operation]) -> int:
         """Returns the minimum start time of the available operations."""
         if not operations:
             return self.schedule.makespan()
@@ -376,7 +414,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return int(min_start_time)
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def available_operations(self) -> list[Operation]:
+    def available_operations(self) -> List[Operation]:
         """Returns a list of available operations for processing, optionally
         filtering out operations using the filter function.
 
@@ -396,7 +434,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return available_operations
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def raw_ready_operations(self) -> list[Operation]:
+    def raw_ready_operations(self) -> List[Operation]:
         """Returns a list of available operations for processing without
         applying the filter function.
 
@@ -412,7 +450,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return available_operations
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def unscheduled_operations(self) -> list[Operation]:
+    def unscheduled_operations(self) -> List[Operation]:
         """Returns the list of operations that have not been scheduled."""
         unscheduled_operations = []
         for job_id, next_position in enumerate(self._job_next_operation_index):
@@ -421,7 +459,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return unscheduled_operations
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def scheduled_operations(self) -> list[Operation]:
+    def scheduled_operations(self) -> List[Operation]:
         """Returns the list of operations that have been scheduled."""
         scheduled_operations = []
         for job_id, next_position in enumerate(self._job_next_operation_index):
@@ -430,7 +468,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return scheduled_operations
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def available_machines(self) -> list[int]:
+    def available_machines(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the list of ready machines."""
         available_operations = self.available_operations()
         available_machines = set()
@@ -439,7 +477,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return list(available_machines)
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def available_jobs(self) -> list[int]:
+    def available_jobs(self) -> List[int]:
         """Returns the list of ready jobs."""
         available_operations = self.available_operations()
         available_jobs = set(
@@ -494,7 +532,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return scheduled_operation.end_time - adjusted_start_time
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def completed_operations(self) -> set[Operation]:
+    def completed_operations(self) -> Set[Operation]:
         """Returns the set of operations that have been completed.
 
         This method returns the operations that have been scheduled and the
@@ -511,7 +549,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return completed_operations
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def uncompleted_operations(self) -> list[Operation]:
+    def uncompleted_operations(self) -> List[Operation]:
         """Returns the list of operations that have not been completed yet.
 
         This method checks for operations that either haven't been scheduled
@@ -530,7 +568,7 @@ class Dispatcher:
         return uncompleted_operations
 
     @_dispatcher_cache
-    def ongoing_operations(self) -> list[ScheduledOperation]:
+    def ongoing_operations(self) -> List[ScheduledOperation]:
         """Returns the list of operations that are currently being processed.
 
         This method returns the operations that have been scheduled and are

job_shop_lib/dispatching/_dispatcher_observer_config.py

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ The factory functions create and return the appropriate functions based on the
 specified names or enums.
 """
 
-from typing import TypeVar, Generic, Any
+from typing import TypeVar, Generic, Any, Dict
 
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from job_shop_lib.exceptions import ValidationError
 T = TypeVar("T")
 
 
-@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
 class DispatcherObserverConfig(Generic[T]):
     """Configuration for initializing any type of class.
 
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class DispatcherObserverConfig(Generic[T]):
     # We use the type hint T, instead of ObserverType, to allow for string or
     # specific Enum values to be passed as the type argument. For example:
     # FeatureObserverConfig = DispatcherObserverConfig[
-    #     type[FeatureObserver] | FeatureObserverType | str
+    #     Type[FeatureObserver] | FeatureObserverType | str
     # ]
     # This allows for the creation of a FeatureObserver instance
     # from the factory function.
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class DispatcherObserverConfig(Generic[T]):
     enum value, or a string. This is useful for the creation of
     :class:`DispatcherObserver` instances from the factory functions."""
 
-    kwargs: dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)
+    kwargs: Dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)
     """Keyword arguments needed to initialize the class. It must not
     contain the ``dispatcher`` argument."""