[Numpy-discussion] Bug: extremely misleading array behavior

[Konrad Hinsen]

Pearu Peterson <pearu at cens.ioc.ee> writes:

> an array with 0 rank. It seems that the Numeric documentation is missing
> (though, I didn't look too hard) the following rules of thumb:
> 
>   If `a' is rank 1 array, then a[i] is Python scalar or object. [MISSING]

Or rather:

- If `a' is rank 1 array with elements of type Int, Float, or Complex,
  then a[i] is Python scalar or object. [MISSING]

- If `a' is rank 1 array with elements of type Int16, Int32, Float32, or
  Complex32, then a[i] is a rank 0 array. [MISSING]

- If `a' is rank > 1 array, then a[i] is a sub-array a[i,...]

The rank-0 arrays are the #1 question topic for users of my netCDF
interface (for portability reasons, netCDF integer arrays map to
Int32, not Int, so scalar integers read from a netCDF array are always
rank-0 arrays), and almost everybody initially claims that it's a bug,
so some education seems necessary.

Konrad.
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