# Deep Learning with Torch: 5

## Training RNNs and LSTMs using torch rnn

Posted by Fabio Fumarola on October 12, 2015

## Abstract:

In this post we analyze how to use rnn library to build a RNN and a LSTM based Neural Network.

The classes of the rnn library can be used to implement RNNs, LSTMs, BRNNs, BLSTMs.

## AbstractRecurrent

All the classes inherited from the class AbstractRecurrent

rnn = nn.AbstractRecurrent(rho)


This class takes as parameter:

• rho, that is the maximum number of steps to backpropagate through time (BPTT). The default value for rho is 9999 and means that the effect of the network is backpropagated through the entire sequence whatever its length. >Lower values of rho are useful when you have long sequences and you want to propagate only at least rho steps. >This is not valid for LSTM where the model learn when remember/forget.

• step, which is internally incremented each time a forward is called. When the current step number is equal to rho the forget function should be called in the code.

Moreover, it accepts as input a table of examples. Thus, it can be trained using a single examples or mini-batches transparently

## RNN

nn.Recurrent(start, input, feedback, [transfer, rho, merge]) takes 5 arguments:

• start: the size of the output, or a Module that will be inserted between the input and the transfer.
• input: a module that processes the input tensor.
• feedback: a module that feedbacks the previous output tensor
• transfer: a non-linear Module used to process the element-wise sum of the input and feedback module outputs
• rho: is the maximum amount of back-progragation.
• merge: a table Module that merges the outputs of the input and feedback.

The transfer function and the merge function can be passed optionally.

A forward keeps a log of intermediate steps and increase the step 1 by 1. Back propagation through time is performed when updateParameters or backwardThroughTime method is called. Note that the longer the sequence the more memory will be required to store all the output and gradInput states (one for each time step). >Suggestion: To use this module with batches, we suggest using different sequences of the same size within a batch and calling updateParameters every rho steps and forget at the end of the Sequence.

### Example

In the following an example an RNN based model and a function to update the gradient.

model = nn.Sequential()
hiddenSize, nn.LookupTable(nIndex, hiddenSize),
nn.Linear(hiddenSize, hiddenSize), nn.Sigmoid(),
rho
))
criterion = nn.ClassNLLCriterion()

function gradientUpgrade(model, x, y, criterion, learningRate, i)
local prediction = model:forward(x)
local err = criterion:forward(prediction, y)
-- the Recurrent layer is memorizing its gradOutputs (up to memSize)

if i % 100 == 0 then
print('error for iteration ' .. i  .. ' is ' .. err/rho)
end

if i % updateInterval == 0 then
-- backpropagates through time (BPTT) :
-- 1. backward through feedback and input layers,
model:backwardThroughTime()
model:updateParameters(learningRate)
end
return i
end


Checks the complete examples for:

## Decorate with Sequencer

Any AbstractRecurrent instance can be decorated with a Sequencer such that an entire sequence of size rho can be presented with a single forward/backward call. The main differences with respect to the previous example are in model definition and inputs.

• Each layer in the model is annotated with sequencer:

~~~lua – Model model = nn.Sequential() model:add(nn.Sequencer(nn.Recurrent( hiddenSize, nn.LookupTable(nIndex, hiddenSize), nn.Linear(hiddenSize, hiddenSize), nn.Sigmoid(), rho ))) model:add(nn.Sequencer(nn.Linear(hiddenSize, nIndex))) model:add(nn.Sequencer(nn.LogSoftMax()))

criterion = nn.SequencerCriterion(nn.ClassNLLCriterion()) ~~~

• The inputs are now presented as a table with size batchSize of tensor of size rho.

~~~lua for i = 1, 10e4 do local inputs, targets = {}, {} for step = 1, rho do –get a batch of inputs table.insert(inputs, dataset:index(1, offsets)) – shift of one batch indexes offsets:add(1) for j=1,batchSize do if offsets[j] > nIndex then offsets[j] = 1 end end – a batch of targets table.insert(targets, dataset:index(1, offsets)) end

 i = gradientUpgrade(model, inputs, targets, criterion, lr, i)   end		   ~~~


### Pros on using Sequencers

The advantages on using the Sequencer decorator are two-fold:

1. We don’t need to take care of calling model:backwardThroughTime()
2. We can easily use the model for mini-batch training and single example prediction

In the examples folder there script for running a rnn decorated with a sequencer.

## LSTM and FastLSTM

Unlike traditional RNNs, an LSTM network is well-suited to learn from experience to classify, process and predict time series when there are very long time lags of unknown size between important events. This is one of the main reasons why LSTM outperforms alternative RNNs and Hidden Markov Models and other sequence learning methods in numerous applications.

The rnn package implements two versions of LSTMs: Vanilla and Fast.

The nn.LSTM(inputSize, outputSize, [rho]) constructor takes 3 arguments:

• inputSize : a number specifying the size of the input;
• outputSize : a number specifying the size of the output;
• rho : the maximum amount of backpropagation steps to take back in time. Limits the number of previous steps kept in memory. Defaults to 9999.

i[t] = σ(W[x->i]x[t] + W[h->i]h[t−1] + W[c->i]c[t−1] + b[1->i])      (1)
f[t] = σ(W[x->f]x[t] + W[h->f]h[t−1] + W[c->f]c[t−1] + b[1->f])      (2)
z[t] = tanh(W[x->c]x[t] + W[h->c]h[t−1] + b[1->c])                   (3)
c[t] = f[t]c[t−1] + i[t]z(t)                                         (4)
o[t] = σ(W[x->o]x[t] + W[h->o]h[t−1] + W[c->o]c[t] + b[1->o])        (5)
h[t] = o[t]tanh(c[t])                                                (6)


The image and formulas above show the computation done in LSTM. Checks the official doc for a complete explanation. In the following we us FastLSTM that performs the computation of input, forget and output gates together.

### Example

Let us change the previous example in order to use LSTM and the Sequencer decorator.

require 'rnn'

batchSize = 10
rho = 5
hiddenSize = 64
nIndex = 10000

local prediction = model:forward(x)
local err = criterion:forward(prediction, y)
if i % 100 == 0 then
print('error for iteration ' .. i  .. ' is ' .. err/rho)
end
i = i + 1
model:updateParameters(learningRate)
end



We use the same gradientUpgrade function.



-- Model
model = nn.Sequential()

criterion = nn.SequencerCriterion(nn.ClassNLLCriterion())



Now our model is decorated with Sequencer.

-- dummy dataset (task predict the next item)
dataset = torch.randperm(nIndex)
-- this dataset represent a random permutation of a sequence between 1 and nIndex

-- define the index of the batch elements
offsets = {}
for i= 1, batchSize do
table.insert(offsets, math.ceil(math.random() * batchSize))
end
offsets = torch.LongTensor(offsets)

lr = 0.1
i = 1
for i = 1, 10000 do
local inputs, targets = {}, {}
for step = 1, rho do
--get a batch of inputs
table.insert(inputs, dataset:index(1, offsets))
-- shift of one batch indexes
for j=1,batchSize do
if offsets[j] > nIndex then
offsets[j] = 1
end
end
-- a batch of targets
table.insert(targets, dataset:index(1, offsets))
end


Finally, we perform the learning passing as inputs and targets a table of sequences.