Variable and Expression Classes

qbpp::Var, qbpp::Term, and qbpp::Expr classes

QUBO++ provides the following fundamental classes:

  • qbpp::Var: Represents a variable symbolically and is associated with a string used for display. Internally, a 32-bit unsigned integer is used as its identifier.
  • qbpp::Term: Represents a product term consisting of an integer coefficient and one or more qbpp::Var objects. The data type of the integer coefficient is defined by the COEFF_TYPE macro, whose default value is int32_t. Each qbpp::Term stores its variables using a static array (inline buffer of 2 elements) combined with dynamic allocation for higher-degree terms, allowing terms of arbitrary degree with no upper limit.
  • qbpp::Expr: Represents an expanded expression consisting of an integer constant term and zero or more qbpp::Term objects. The data type of the integer constant term is defined by the ENERGY_TYPE macro, whose default value is int64_t.

In the following program, x and y are qbpp::Var objects, t is a qbpp::Term object, and f is a qbpp::Expr object:

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  auto x = qbpp::var("x");
  auto y = qbpp::var("y");
  auto t = 2 * x * y;
  auto f = t - x + 1;

  std::cout << "x = " << x << std::endl;
  std::cout << "y = " << y << std::endl;
  std::cout << "t = " << t << std::endl;
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;
}

This program produces the following output:

x = x
y = y
t = 2*x*y
f = 1 -x +2*x*y

If the data types are to be explicitly specified, the program can be rewritten as follows:

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  qbpp::Var x = qbpp::var("x");
  qbpp::Var y = qbpp::var("y");
  qbpp::Term t = 2 * x * y;
  qbpp::Expr f = t - x + 1;

  std::cout << "x = " << x << std::endl;
  std::cout << "y = " << y << std::endl;
  std::cout << "t = " << t << std::endl;
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;
}

qbpp::Var objects are immutable and cannot be updated after creation. In contrast, qbpp::Term and qbpp::Expr objects are mutable and can be updated via assignment.

For example, as shown in the following program, compound assignment operators can be used to update qbpp::Term and qbpp::Expr objects:

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  qbpp::Var x = qbpp::var("x");
  qbpp::Var y = qbpp::var("y");
  qbpp::Term t = 2 * x * y;
  qbpp::Expr f = t - x + 1;

  std::cout << "t = " << t << std::endl;
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;

  t *= 3 * x;
  f += 2 * y;

  std::cout << "t = " << t << std::endl;
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;
}

This program prints the following output:

t = 2*x*y
f = 1 -x +2*x*y
t = 6*x*y*x
f = 1 -x +2*x*y +2*y

In most cases, there is no need to explicitly use qbpp::Term objects. They should only be used when maximum performance optimization is required.

However, note that auto type deduction may create a qbpp::Term object, which cannot store general expressions. For example, the following program results in a compilation error because an expression is assigned to a qbpp::Term object:

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  auto x = qbpp::var("x");
  auto y = qbpp::var("y");

  auto t = 2 * x * y;
  t = x + 1;
}

If a qbpp::Expr object is intended, qbpp::toExpr() can be used to explicitly construct one, as shown below:

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  auto x = qbpp::var("x");
  auto y = qbpp::var("y");
  auto t = qbpp::toExpr(2 * x * y);
  auto f = qbpp::toExpr(1);

  t += x + 1;
  f += t;

  std::cout << "t = " << t << std::endl;
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;
}

In this program, both t and f are qbpp::Expr objects and can store general expressions. In particular, f is created as a qbpp::Expr object containing only a constant term with value 1 and no product terms.

Integer Ranges: COEFF_TYPE and ENERGY_TYPE

The macros COEFF_TYPE and ENERGY_TYPE define the data types used for coefficients and energy values in expressions. The ENERGY_TYPE macro is also used as the data type for the integer constant term of a qbpp::Expr object. The following types can be specified:

Type Range Large constant syntax
int16_t ±3.3×10⁴ 1234 (integer literal)
int32_t ±2.1×10⁹ 12345 (integer literal)
int64_t ±9.2×10¹⁸ 1234567890123456789LL
qbpp::int128_t ±1.7×10³⁸ qbpp::int128_t("12345678901234567890")
qbpp::cpp_int unlimited qbpp::cpp_int("...")

The type qbpp::cpp_int represents an integer with an arbitrary number of digits.

By default, coeff_t is int32_t and energy_t is int64_t. To use a different type, define one of the following macros before including the header (or pass as a compiler flag -D...):

Macro coeff_t energy_t Library
INTEGER_TYPE_C16E32 int16_t int32_t libqbpp_c16e32.so
INTEGER_TYPE_C32E32 int32_t int32_t libqbpp_c32e32.so
(default) int32_t int64_t libqbpp_c32e64.so
INTEGER_TYPE_C64E64 int64_t int64_t libqbpp_c64e64.so
INTEGER_TYPE_C64E128 int64_t int128_t libqbpp_c64e128.so
INTEGER_TYPE_C128E128 int128_t int128_t libqbpp_c128e128.so
INTEGER_TYPE_CPP_INT cpp_int cpp_int libqbpp_cppint.so

Example:

#define INTEGER_TYPE_CPP_INT
#include <qbpp/easy_solver.hpp>

The appropriate library is automatically loaded at runtime based on the specified types; no explicit linking is required.

String constructors

For qbpp::int128_t and qbpp::cpp_int, constant values that exceed the 64-bit integer range can be specified using string constructors. The string is parsed as a decimal number at runtime.

Note: Standard integer literals (e.g., 12345) and 64-bit literals with the LL suffix can be used directly with any type via implicit conversion. String constructors are only needed when the value exceeds the int64_t range (±9.2×10¹⁸).

Example with qbpp::int128_t

The following program creates a qbpp::Expr object with coefficients exceeding 64-bit range:

#define INTEGER_TYPE_C128E128

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  auto x = qbpp::var("x");
  auto y = qbpp::var("y");
  auto f = qbpp::int128_t("12345678901234567890") * x +
           qbpp::int128_t("98765432109876543210") * y;
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;
}

This program produces the following output:

f = 12345678901234567890*x +98765432109876543210*y

Example with qbpp::cpp_int

The following program creates a qbpp::Expr object with very large coefficient and constant terms:

#define INTEGER_TYPE_CPP_INT

#include <qbpp/qbpp.hpp>

int main() {
  auto x = qbpp::var("x");
  auto f = qbpp::cpp_int("123456789012345678901234567890") * x +
           qbpp::cpp_int("987654321098765432109876543210");
  std::cout << "f = " << f << std::endl;
}

This program produces the following output:

f = 987654321098765432109876543210 +123456789012345678901234567890*x

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Page last modified: 2026.04.04.