[Numpy-discussion] Documentation error in numpy.random.logseries

[David Goldsmith]

On Sat, Jun 26, 2010 at 1:41 PM, Vincent Davis <vincent at vincentdavis.net>wrote:

> numpy.random.logseries(p, size=None)
>
> but the parameters section,
> Parameters:
> loc : float
> scale : float > 0.
> size : {tuple, int}
> Output shape. If the given shape is, e.g., (m, n, k), then m * n * k
> samples are drawn.
>
> Notice that p <> loc and what about scale.
>
> I'll file a ticket unless I am mission something,
> Which should it be loc or p
> What about scale.
>

The source is opaque (to me; Cython?) so unless you can decipher it, test
actual behavior and document that - my guess is that p is short for
"parameters" and is intended to be a two-element array_like containing both
the loc and scale parameters, but that's the way it should be documented,
not with some unprecedented reference to loc and scale when the signature
specifies p, but as I said, check that first.

There is no numpy-dev list right? Should this list be used or the
> scipy-dev list>
>

That's a good Q: this is definitely a "bug" in the doc (loc and scale
shouldn't be documented as such when they're not explicitly in the function
signature), in which case scipy-dev is the proper place to post, but if it
turns out to be a bug in the code also, then this is the proper place, since
all numpy devs are subscribed here, and numpy users should know about
potential bugs (numpy devs will correct me if I'm wrong).

DG

> Vincent
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