Align all providers to use "shots" and remove duplicate "count"/"shots" input parameter (#719)

* Align most QIR providers to "shots" parameter

* Fix unit tests

* Remove deprecation message if user still provides 'count' (#720)

* Fix tests

* Remove count param handling for ionq and qci

* Revert "Fix tests"

This reverts commit e983797.

---------

Co-authored-by: Zulfat Nutfullin <rigidit@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: xinyi-joffre

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/backend.py

@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ class AzureBackendBase(Backend, SessionHost):
 
     # Name of the provider's input parameter which specifies number of shots for a submitted job.
     # If None, backend will not pass this input parameter. 
-    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = None
+    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "shots"
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
@@ -451,12 +451,6 @@ def _get_input_params(self, options: Dict[str, Any], shots: int = None) -> Dict[
             if final_shots is None:
                 final_shots = input_params.get(self.__class__._SHOTS_PARAM_NAME)
 
-            # Also add all possible shots options into input_params to make sure 
-            # that all backends covered. 
-            # TODO: Double check all backends for shots options in order to remove this extra check.
-            input_params["shots"] = final_shots
-            input_params["count"] = final_shots
-
             # Safely removing "shots" and "count" from options as they will be passed in input_params now.
             _ = options.pop("shots", None)
             _ = options.pop("count", None)
@@ -830,29 +824,3 @@ def run(
         logger.info(input_data)
 
         return job
-
-def _get_shots_or_deprecated_count_input_param(
-        param_name: str,
-        shots: int = None, 
-        count: int = None,
-    ) -> Optional[int]:
-    """
-    This helper function checks if the deprecated 'count' option is specified.
-    In earlier versions it was possible to pass this option to specify shots number for a job,
-    but now we only check for it for compatibility reasons.  
-    """
-
-    final_shots = None
-
-    if shots is not None:
-        final_shots = shots
-    
-    elif count is not None:
-        final_shots = count
-        warnings.warn(
-            "The 'count' parameter will be deprecated. "
-            f"Please, use '{param_name}' parameter instead.",
-            category=DeprecationWarning,
-        )
-    
-    return final_shots

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/ionq.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
     AzureBackendConfig,
     AzureQirBackend,
     _ensure_backend_config,
-    _get_shots_or_deprecated_count_input_param,
 )
 from qiskit.providers import Options
 
@@ -84,18 +83,7 @@ def run(
         shots: int = None,
         **options,
     ) -> AzureQuantumJob:
-        
-        # In earlier versions, backends for all providers accepted the 'count' option,
-        # but now we accept it only for a compatibility reasons and do not recommend using it.
-        count = options.pop("count", None)
-
-        final_shots = _get_shots_or_deprecated_count_input_param(
-            param_name=self.__class__._SHOTS_PARAM_NAME,
-            shots=shots,
-            count=count,
-        )
-        
-        return super().run(run_input, shots=final_shots, **options)
+        return super().run(run_input, shots=shots, **options)
 
 
 class IonQSimulatorQirBackend(IonQQirBackendBase):
@@ -207,18 +195,7 @@ def run(
         shots: int = None,
         **options,
     ) -> AzureQuantumJob:
-        
-        # In earlier versions, backends for all providers accepted the 'count' option,
-        # but now we accept it only for a compatibility reasons and do not recommend using it.
-        count = options.pop("count", None)
-
-        final_shots = _get_shots_or_deprecated_count_input_param(
-            param_name=self.__class__._SHOTS_PARAM_NAME,
-            shots=shots,
-            count=count,
-        )
-        
-        return super().run(run_input, shots=final_shots, **options)
+        return super().run(run_input, shots=shots, **options)
 
     @classmethod
     def _default_options(cls):

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/qci.py

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
     AzureBackendConfig,
     AzureQirBackend,
     _ensure_backend_config,
-    _get_shots_or_deprecated_count_input_param,
 )
 from qiskit.providers import Options
 from qsharp import TargetProfile
@@ -66,18 +65,7 @@ def run(
         shots: int = None,
         **options,
     ) -> AzureQuantumJob:
-        
-        # In earlier versions, backends for all providers accepted the 'count' option,
-        # but now we accept it only for a compatibility reasons and do not recommend using it.
-        count = options.pop("count", None)
-
-        final_shots = _get_shots_or_deprecated_count_input_param(
-            param_name=self.__class__._SHOTS_PARAM_NAME,
-            shots=shots,
-            count=count,
-        )
-        
-        return super().run(run_input, shots=final_shots, **options)
+        return super().run(run_input, shots=shots, **options)
 
 
 class QCISimulatorBackend(QCIBackend):

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/quantinuum.py

@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ def _get_n_qubits(name):
         UserWarning(f"Number of qubits not known for target {name}. Defaulting to 20."))
     return 20
 
-_QUANTINUUM_COUNT_INPUT_PARAM_NAME = "count"
+_QUANTINUUM_COUNT_INPUT_PARAM_NAME = "shots"
 _DEFAULT_SHOTS_COUNT = 500
 
 class QuantinuumQirBackendBase(AzureQirBackend):

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/rigetti.py

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 class RigettiBackend(AzureQirBackend):
     """Base class for interfacing with a Rigetti backend in Azure Quantum"""
 
-    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "count"
+    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "shots"
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/job.py

@@ -115,14 +115,14 @@ def queue_position(self):
         return None
 
     def _shots_count(self):
-        # Some providers use 'count', some other 'shots', give preference to 'count':
+        # Some providers use 'count', some other 'shots', give preference to 'shots':
         input_params = self._azure_job.details.input_params
         options = self.backend().options
         shots = \
-            input_params["count"] if "count" in input_params else \
             input_params["shots"] if "shots" in input_params else \
-            options.get("count") if "count" in vars(options) else \
-            options.get("shots")
+            input_params["count"] if "count" in input_params else \
+            options.get("shots") if "shots" in vars(options) else \
+            options.get("count")
 
         return shots
 

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/target/quantinuum.py

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class Quantinuum(Target):
         "quantinuum.sim.h2-2e",
     )
 
-    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "count"
+    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "shots"
 
     def __init__(
         self,

azure-quantum/azure/quantum/target/rigetti/target.py

@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ class Rigetti(Target):
 
     target_names = tuple(target.value for target in RigettiTarget)
 
-    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "count"
+    _SHOTS_PARAM_NAME = "shots"
 
     def __init__(
         self,

azure-quantum/tests/test_qiskit.py

@@ -254,9 +254,8 @@ def test_quantinuum_request_construction_offline(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
     provider = AzureQuantumProvider(workspace=ws)
     backend = QuantinuumEmulatorBackend(name="quantinuum.sim.h2-1e", provider=provider)
 
-    # Quantinuum uses `count` as the provider-specific shots input param.
     with pytest.warns(UserWarning, match="conflicts"):
-        input_params = backend._get_input_params({"count": 999}, shots=123)
+        input_params = backend._get_input_params({"shots": 999}, shots=123)
 
     job = backend._run(
         job_name="offline-quantinuum",
@@ -277,7 +276,6 @@ def test_quantinuum_request_construction_offline(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
     assert details.target == "quantinuum.sim.h2-1e"
     assert details.input_data_format == "honeywell.openqasm.v1"
     assert details.output_data_format == "honeywell.quantum-results.v1"
-    assert details.input_params["count"] == 123
     assert details.input_params["shots"] == 123
     assert details.metadata.get("foo") == "bar"
     assert details.metadata.get("meta") == "value"
@@ -295,7 +293,7 @@ def test_rigetti_request_construction_offline(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
     backend = RigettiSimulatorBackend(name=RigettiTarget.QVM.value, provider=provider)
 
     with pytest.warns(UserWarning, match="subject to change"):
-        input_params = backend._get_input_params({"count": 10}, shots=None)
+        input_params = backend._get_input_params({"shots": 10}, shots=None)
 
     job = backend._run(
         job_name="offline-rigetti",
@@ -315,7 +313,6 @@ def test_rigetti_request_construction_offline(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
     assert details.provider_id == "rigetti"
     assert details.input_data_format == "qir.v1"
     assert details.output_data_format == "microsoft.quantum-results.v2"
-    assert details.input_params["count"] == 10
     assert details.input_params["shots"] == 10
     assert details.metadata.get("foo") == "bar"