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Timothy Bradford
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add README with comprehensive documentation and iOS usage examples
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README.md

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# QLearnerKit
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A Swift implementation of Q-Learning with Dyna-Q planning, optimized for Apple Silicon using MLX. Perfect for building adaptive iOS apps that learn user preferences over time.
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## Features
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- **Tabular Q-Learning** - Classic reinforcement learning for discrete state/action spaces
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- **Dyna-Q Planning** - Model-based learning for improved sample efficiency
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- **MLX-Powered** - Leverages Apple's MLX framework for efficient computation
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- **iOS Ready** - Designed for real-world iOS app integration
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## Requirements
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- macOS 14.0+ / iOS 17.0+
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- Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
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- Swift 6.2+
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## Installation
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### Swift Package Manager
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Add to your `Package.swift`:
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```swift
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dependencies: [
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.package(url: "https://github.com/timothy/QLearnerKit", from: "1.0.0")
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]
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```
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Or add via Xcode: **File → Add Package Dependencies**
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## Quick Start
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### Basic Q-Learning
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```swift
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import QLearnerKit
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// Create learner for grid world (100 states, 4 actions)
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let learner = QLearner(
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numStates: 100,
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numActions: 4,
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alpha: 0.2,
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gamma: 0.9,
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dyna: 200
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)
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// Initialize with starting state
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var action = learner.querysetstate(0)
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// Learning loop
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while !done {
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let nextState = environment.step(action)
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let reward = environment.getReward(nextState)
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action = learner.query(nextState, reward: reward)
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}
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// Get learned policy
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let policy = learner.getPolicy()
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```
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## iOS User Preference Learning
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Here's a complete example of using QLearnerKit to learn user content preferences in a news app:
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### Setup
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```swift
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import Foundation
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import QLearnerKit
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class NewsRecommender {
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private let learner: QLearner
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private var currentState: Int = 0
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enum ContentCategory: Int, CaseIterable {
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case sports = 0
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case technology = 1
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case business = 2
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case entertainment = 3
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var displayName: String {
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switch self {
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case .sports: return "Sports"
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case .technology: return "Technology"
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case .business: return "Business"
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case .entertainment: return "Entertainment"
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}
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}
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}
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init() {
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// 8 states: 4 time periods × 2 day types (weekday/weekend)
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// 4 actions: content categories
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learner = QLearner(
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numStates: 8,
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numActions: ContentCategory.allCases.count,
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alpha: 0.2, // Learning rate
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gamma: 0.9, // Future reward discount
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rar: 0.3, // 30% exploration (lower for production)
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radr: 0.995, // Slow decay
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dyna: 50 // Model-based planning steps
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)
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}
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/// Determine current user context state
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private func getCurrentState() -> Int {
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let calendar = Calendar.current
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let now = Date()
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let hour = calendar.component(.hour, from: now)
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let isWeekend = calendar.isDateInWeekend(now)
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// Time periods: 0=Morning(6-12), 1=Afternoon(12-18), 2=Evening(18-24), 3=Night(0-6)
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let timeSlot: Int
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switch hour {
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case 6..<12: timeSlot = 0
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case 12..<18: timeSlot = 1
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case 18..<24: timeSlot = 2
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default: timeSlot = 3
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}
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// Combine time and day type: timeSlot * 2 + (weekend ? 1 : 0)
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return timeSlot * 2 + (isWeekend ? 1 : 0)
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}
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/// Get recommended content category for current context
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func recommendContent() -> ContentCategory {
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currentState = getCurrentState()
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let action = learner.querysetstate(currentState)
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return ContentCategory(rawValue: action) ?? .technology
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}
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/// Record user engagement with content
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/// - Parameters:
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/// - category: The content category shown
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/// - didRead: Whether user read the article (>30 seconds)
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/// - readDuration: How long user engaged (seconds)
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func recordEngagement(category: ContentCategory, didRead: Bool, readDuration: TimeInterval) {
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let state = getCurrentState()
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// Reward based on engagement level
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let reward: Float
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if didRead && readDuration > 60 {
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reward = 1.0 // Strong positive - user engaged deeply
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} else if didRead {
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reward = 0.5 // Moderate positive - user read article
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} else if readDuration > 5 {
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reward = 0.1 // Weak positive - user glanced
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} else {
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reward = -0.2 // Negative - user ignored
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}
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_ = learner.query(state, reward: reward)
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}
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/// Get best category for current context (no exploration)
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func getBestCategory() -> ContentCategory {
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let state = getCurrentState()
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let policy = learner.getPolicy()
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return ContentCategory(rawValue: policy[state]) ?? .technology
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}
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/// Export learned preferences for persistence
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func exportPreferences() -> [Float] {
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return learner.getQTable().asArray(Float.self)
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}
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}
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```
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### Usage in SwiftUI
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```swift
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import SwiftUI
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struct ContentView: View {
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@StateObject private var recommender = NewsRecommender()
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@State private var recommendedCategory: NewsRecommender.ContentCategory = .technology
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@State private var articleStartTime: Date?
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var body: some View {
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VStack(spacing: 20) {
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Text("Recommended for You")
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.font(.title)
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Text(recommendedCategory.displayName)
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.font(.headline)
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.padding()
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.background(Color.blue.opacity(0.2))
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.cornerRadius(10)
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Button("Show Article") {
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showArticle()
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}
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.buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
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Button("Get New Recommendation") {
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recommendedCategory = recommender.recommendContent()
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}
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}
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.padding()
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.onAppear {
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recommendedCategory = recommender.recommendContent()
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}
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}
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private func showArticle() {
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articleStartTime = Date()
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// Simulate user reading article
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DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.0) {
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recordArticleEngagement(didRead: true)
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}
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}
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private func recordArticleEngagement(didRead: Bool) {
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guard let startTime = articleStartTime else { return }
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let duration = Date().timeIntervalSince(startTime)
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recommender.recordEngagement(
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category: recommendedCategory,
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didRead: didRead,
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readDuration: duration
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)
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// Get next recommendation
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recommendedCategory = recommender.recommendContent()
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articleStartTime = nil
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}
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}
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```
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### Persistence Example
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```swift
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extension NewsRecommender {
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private var preferencesKey: String { "qlearner_preferences" }
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func save() {
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let preferences = exportPreferences()
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UserDefaults.standard.set(preferences, forKey: preferencesKey)
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}
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func load() {
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// Note: You'd need to implement a method to load Q-table back
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// This requires adding a setter or initializer with Q-table data
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if let saved = UserDefaults.standard.array(forKey: preferencesKey) as? [Float] {
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// Restore Q-table (implementation depends on your needs)
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print("Loaded \(saved.count) preference values")
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}
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}
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}
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```
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## API Reference
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### Initialization
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```swift
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QLearner(
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numStates: Int = 100, // Number of discrete states
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numActions: Int = 4, // Number of available actions
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alpha: Float = 0.2, // Learning rate [0.0-1.0]
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gamma: Float = 0.9, // Discount factor [0.0-1.0]
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rar: Float = 0.5, // Random action rate (epsilon)
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radr: Float = 0.99, // Exploration decay rate
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dyna: Int = 0, // Planning steps (0 = disabled)
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verbose: Bool = false // Debug output
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)
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```
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### Core Methods
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#### `querysetstate(_ s: Int) -> Int`
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Initialize state without learning. Use at episode start.
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**Parameters:**
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- `s`: Initial state
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**Returns:** Selected action
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#### `query(_ sPrime: Int, reward: Float) -> Int`
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Main learning step. Updates Q-table and selects next action.
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**Parameters:**
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- `sPrime`: New state after previous action
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- `reward`: Reward received
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**Returns:** Next action to take
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#### `getPolicy() -> [Int]`
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Extract greedy policy (best action per state).
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**Returns:** Array of actions indexed by state
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#### `getQTable() -> MLXArray`
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Get Q-table for inspection or persistence.
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**Returns:** Q-table as MLXArray
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## Use Cases
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- **Content Recommendation** - Learn user preferences for news, videos, products
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- **UI Personalization** - Adapt interface layouts based on user behavior
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- **Feature Discovery** - Guide users to relevant app features
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- **Notification Timing** - Learn optimal times to send notifications
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- **A/B Testing** - Multi-armed bandit for dynamic feature testing
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## Best Practices
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### State Design
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- Keep state space small (< 1000 states for fast learning)
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- Use meaningful features (time, context, user segments)
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- Combine continuous features into discrete bins
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### Reward Shaping
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- Use clear positive/negative signals
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- Scale rewards consistently (-1 to +1)
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- Reward desired behaviors immediately
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### Hyperparameters
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- **Production**: `rar: 0.1-0.3` (low exploration)
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- **Learning**: `rar: 0.5-0.7` (high exploration)
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- **Alpha**: `0.1-0.3` for stable environments
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- **Dyna**: `50-200` for sample efficiency
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### Privacy
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- All learning happens on-device
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- No user data sent to servers
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- Q-table stored locally
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## Performance
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- Lightweight: ~100KB memory for 100 states × 10 actions
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- Fast updates: < 1ms per query on Apple Silicon
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- Efficient planning: Dyna-Q provides 5-10× sample efficiency
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## License
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Apache-2.0
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## Author
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Timothy Bradford
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## Contributing
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Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or PR.

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