[Numpy-discussion] Improving Docs on Wiki

[Anne Archibald]

On 21/03/2008, Sebastian Haase <haase at msg.ucsf.edu> wrote:

> Comment:  I have read the module- or directory-name "core" many times
>  on this list, however: Who really knows where a given functions
>  belongs ?  Isn't that mostly only the numpy svn commiters ?
>  In other words, using only the python side of numpy,  someone (like
>  myself) would NOT know that sort is inside "core" !
>
>  Also: since >>> import numpy as N; N.sort  refers already to that same sort:
>  >>> N.core.sort
>  <function sort at 0x01BACB30>
>  >>> N.sort
>  <function sort at 0x01BACB30>
>
>  I would prefer not to require "core" sub-sub-page.
>  Instead, every name <X> that is accessible as N.<X> should be
>  documented without extra sub-page.

I don't have a solution, but I would like to complain about numpy's
flat namespace. Perhaps we're stuck with it now, but it's very
difficult to find the right function. In scipy, I can find the right
numerical integration by importsing scipy.integrate and using tab
completion, But in numpy, everything is loaded into the base
namespace, so tab completion gets me an overwhelming 502
possibilities. That's why there's a "numpy functions by category" but
no "scipy functions by category" - scipy functions are already by
category.

Is it perhaps possible to make all numpy functions accessible in
submodules (in addition to in numpy, for backwards compatibility) and
then promote accessing them that way? Are they already? If so how do I
find out what the submodules are?

Thanks,
Anne