Unable to save model with tensorflow 2.0.0 beta1 - tensorflow

Question

I have tried all the options described in the documentation but none of them allowed me to save my model in tensorflow 2.0.0 beta1. I've also tried to upgrade to the (also unstable) TF2-RC but that ruined even the code I had working in beta so I quickly rolled back for now to beta.
See a minimal reproduction code below.
What I have tried:
model.save("mymodel.h5")
NotImplementedError: Saving the model to HDF5 format requires the
model to be a Functional model or a Sequential model. It does not work
for subclassed models, because such models are defined via the body of
a Python method, which isn't safely serializable. Consider saving to
the Tensorflow SavedModel format (by setting save_format="tf") or
using save_weights.
model.save("mymodel", format='tf')
ValueError: Model <main.CVAE object at 0x7f1cac2e7c50> cannot be
saved because the input shapes have not been set. Usually, input
shapes are automatically determined from calling .fit() or .predict().
To manually set the shapes, call model._set_inputs(inputs).
3.
model._set_input(input_sample)
model.save("mymodel", format='tf')
AssertionError: tf.saved_model.save is not supported inside a traced
#tf.function. Move the call to the outer eagerly-executed context.
And this is where I am stuck now because it gives me no reasonable hint whatsoever. That's because I am NOT calling the save() function from a #tf.function, I'm already calling it from the outermost scope possible. In fact, I have no #tf.function at all in this minimal reproduction script below and still getting the same error.
So I really have no idea how to save my model, I've tried every options and they all throw errors and provide no hints.
The minimal reproduction example below works fine if you set save_model=False and it reproduces the error when save_model=True.
It may seem unnecessary in this simplified auto-encoder code example to use a subclassed model but I have lots of custom functions added to it in my original VAE code that I need it for.
Code:
import tensorflow as tf
save_model = True
learning_rate = 1e-4
BATCH_SIZE = 100
TEST_BATCH_SIZE = 10
color_channels = 1
imsize = 28
(train_images, _), (test_images, _) = tf.keras.datasets.mnist.load_data()
train_images = train_images[:5000, ::]
test_images = train_images[:1000, ::]
train_images = train_images.reshape(-1, imsize, imsize, 1).astype('float32')
test_images = test_images.reshape(-1, imsize, imsize, 1).astype('float32')
train_images /= 255.
test_images /= 255.
train_dataset = tf.data.Dataset.from_tensor_slices(train_images).batch(BATCH_SIZE)
test_dataset = tf.data.Dataset.from_tensor_slices(test_images).batch(TEST_BATCH_SIZE)
class AE(tf.keras.Model):
def __init__(self):
super(AE, self).__init__()
self.network = tf.keras.Sequential([
tf.keras.layers.InputLayer(input_shape=(imsize, imsize, color_channels)),
tf.keras.layers.Flatten(),
tf.keras.layers.Dense(50),
tf.keras.layers.Dense(imsize**2 * color_channels),
tf.keras.layers.Reshape(target_shape=(imsize, imsize, color_channels)),
])
def decode(self, input):
logits = self.network(input)
return logits
optimizer = tf.keras.optimizers.Adam(learning_rate)
model = AE()
def compute_loss(data):
logits = model.decode(data)
loss = tf.reduce_mean(tf.losses.mean_squared_error(logits, data))
return loss
def train_step(data):
with tf.GradientTape() as tape:
loss = compute_loss(data)
gradients = tape.gradient(loss, model.trainable_variables)
optimizer.apply_gradients(zip(gradients, model.trainable_variables))
return loss, 0
def test_step(data):
loss = compute_loss(data)
return loss
input_shape_set = False
epoch = 0
epochs = 20
for epoch in range(epochs):
for train_x in train_dataset:
train_step(train_x)
if epoch % 1 == 0:
loss = 0.0
num_batches = 0
for test_x in test_dataset:
loss += test_step(test_x)
num_batches += 1
loss /= num_batches
print("Epoch: {}, Loss: {}".format(epoch, loss))
if save_model:
print("Saving model...")
if not input_shape_set:
# Note: Why set input shape manually and why here:
# 1. If I do not set input shape manually: ValueError: Model <main.CVAE object at 0x7f1cac2e7c50> cannot be saved because the input shapes have not been set. Usually, input shapes are automatically determined from calling .fit() or .predict(). To manually set the shapes, call model._set_inputs(inputs).
# 2. If I set input shape manually BEFORE the first actual train step, I get: RuntimeError: Attempting to capture an EagerTensor without building a function.
model._set_inputs(train_dataset.__iter__().next())
input_shape_set = True
# Note: Why choose tf format: model.save('MNIST/Models/model.h5') will return NotImplementedError: Saving the model to HDF5 format requires the model to be a Functional model or a Sequential model. It does not work for subclassed models, because such models are defined via the body of a Python method, which isn't safely serializable. Consider saving to the Tensorflow SavedModel format (by setting save_format="tf") or using save_weights.
model.save('MNIST/Models/model', save_format='tf')

Answer 1

I have tried the same minimal reproduction example in tensorflow-gpu 2.0.0-rc0 and the error was more revealing than what the beta version gave me. The error in RC says:
NotImplementedError: When subclassing the Model class, you should
implement a call method.
This got me read through https://www.tensorflow.org/beta/guide/keras/custom_layers_and_models where I found examples of how to do subclassing in TF2 in a way that allows saving. I was able to resolve the error and have the model saved by replacing my 'decode' method by 'call' in the above example (although this will be more complicated with my actual code where I had various methods defined for the class). This solved the error both in beta and in rc. Strangely, the training (or the saving) got also much faster in rc.

Answer 2

You should change two things:
Change the decode method to call, as you pointed out
As your model is of type Sequential, and not built inside the class, you want to call the save method on the self.network attribute of the model, i.e.,
model.network.save('mymodel.h5')
alternatively, to keep things more standard, you can implement this method inside the AE class, as follows:
def save(self, save_dir):
self.network.save(save_dir)
Cheers mate