Add validation at the beginning of func:RandomSamplingWithPriority

libs/rand/sampling.go

@@ -24,9 +24,16 @@ type Candidate interface {
 // Returns:
 // samples - A randomly selected candidate from a set of candidates. NOTE that the same candidate may have been
 // selected in duplicate.
+// TODO: Change to a function that returns an error, as it is not desirable for the function to end with a panic.
 func RandomSamplingWithPriority(
 	seed uint64, candidates []Candidate, sampleSize int, totalPriority uint64) (samples []Candidate) {
 
+	// This step is performed if and only if the parameter is invalid. The reasons are as stated in the message:
+	err := checkInvalidPriority(candidates, totalPriority)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
 	// generates a random selection threshold for candidates' cumulative priority
 	thresholds := make([]uint64, sampleSize)
 	for i := 0; i < sampleSize; i++ {
@@ -50,15 +57,10 @@ func RandomSamplingWithPriority(
 		cumulativePriority += candidate.Priority()
 	}
 
-	// This step is performed if and only if the parameter is invalid. The reasons are as stated in the message:
-	actualTotalPriority := uint64(0)
-	for i := 0; i < len(candidates); i++ {
-		actualTotalPriority += candidates[i].Priority()
-	}
-	panic(fmt.Sprintf("Either the given candidate is an empty set, the actual cumulative priority is zero,"+
-		" or the total priority is less than the actual one; totalPriority=%d, actualTotalPriority=%d,"+
-		" seed=%d, sampleSize=%d, undrawn=%d, threshold[%d]=%d, len(candidates)=%d",
-		totalPriority, actualTotalPriority, seed, sampleSize, undrawn, undrawn, thresholds[undrawn], len(candidates)))
+	// We're assuming you never get to this code
+	panic(fmt.Sprintf("An unexpected error occurred while selecting samples; "+
+		"totalPriority=%d, seed=%d, sampleSize=%d, undrawn=%d, threshold[%d]=%d, len(candidates)=%d",
+		totalPriority, seed, sampleSize, undrawn, undrawn, thresholds[undrawn], len(candidates)))
 }
 
 const uint64Mask = uint64(0x7FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF)
@@ -93,3 +95,28 @@ func nextRandom(rand *uint64) uint64 {
 	z = (z ^ (z >> 27)) * 0x94d049bb133111eb
 	return z ^ (z >> 31)
 }
+
+func checkInvalidPriority(candidates []Candidate, totalPriority uint64) error {
+	actualTotalPriority := uint64(0)
+	for i := 0; i < len(candidates); i++ {
+		actualTotalPriority += candidates[i].Priority()
+	}
+
+	if len(candidates) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("the specified candidate is an empty set; "+
+			"totalPriority=%d, actualTotalPriority=%d, len(candidates)=%d",
+			totalPriority, actualTotalPriority, len(candidates))
+
+	} else if totalPriority == 0 || actualTotalPriority == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("actual cumulative priority is zero; "+
+			"totalPriority=%d, actualTotalPriority=%d, len(candidates)=%d",
+			totalPriority, actualTotalPriority, len(candidates))
+
+	} else if actualTotalPriority != totalPriority {
+		return fmt.Errorf("total priority not equal to actual priority; "+
+			"totalPriority=%d, actualTotalPriority=%d, len(candidates)=%d",
+			totalPriority, actualTotalPriority, len(candidates))
+
+	}
+	return nil
+}

libs/rand/sampling_test.go

@@ -38,15 +38,15 @@ func (e *Element) VotingPower() uint64 { return e.votingPower }
 func TestRandomSamplingWithPriority(t *testing.T) {
 	candidates := newCandidates(100, func(i int) uint64 { return uint64(i) })
 
-	elected := RandomSamplingWithPriority(0, candidates, 10, uint64(len(candidates)))
+	elected := RandomSamplingWithPriority(0, candidates, 10, calculateTotalPriority(candidates))
 	if len(elected) != 10 {
 		t.Errorf(fmt.Sprintf("unexpected sample size: %d", len(elected)))
 	}
 
 	// ----
 	// The same result can be obtained for the same input.
 	others := newCandidates(100, func(i int) uint64 { return uint64(i) })
-	secondTimeElected := RandomSamplingWithPriority(0, others, 10, uint64(len(others)))
+	secondTimeElected := RandomSamplingWithPriority(0, others, 10, calculateTotalPriority(others))
 	if len(elected) != len(secondTimeElected) || !sameCandidates(elected, secondTimeElected) {
 		t.Errorf(fmt.Sprintf("undeterministic: %+v != %+v", elected, others))
 	}
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func TestRandomSamplingWithPriority(t *testing.T) {
 	candidates = newCandidates(100, func(i int) uint64 { return 1 })
 	counts := make([]int, len(candidates))
 	for i := 0; i < 100000; i++ {
-		elected = RandomSamplingWithPriority(uint64(i), candidates, 10, uint64(len(candidates)))
+		elected = RandomSamplingWithPriority(uint64(i), candidates, 10, calculateTotalPriority(candidates))
 		for _, e := range elected {
 			counts[e.(*Element).id]++
 		}
@@ -199,3 +199,11 @@ func calculateMeanAndVariance(values []float64) (mean float64, variance float64)
 	variance = sum2 / float64(len(values))
 	return
 }
+
+func calculateTotalPriority(candidates []Candidate) uint64 {
+	totalPriority := uint64(0)
+	for _, candidate := range candidates {
+		totalPriority += candidate.Priority()
+	}
+	return totalPriority
+}