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

[Vincent Davis]

On Sat, Jun 26, 2010 at 3:04 PM,  <josef.pktd at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Jun 26, 2010 at 4:58 PM, David Goldsmith
> <d.l.goldsmith at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 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.

Thanks, I'll file a ticket
Vincent

>>>
>>> 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.
>
>>>> np.source(stats.distributions.logser_gen)
>
> class logser_gen(rv_discrete):
>    def _rvs(self, pr):
>        return mtrand.logseries(pr,size=self._size)
>    def _argcheck(self, pr):
>        return (pr > 0) & (pr < 1)
>    def _pmf(self, k, pr):
>        return -pr**k * 1.0 / k / log(1-pr)
>
> p is a probability between in (0,1), just a mistake in the documentation.
>
>>
>>> 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).
>
> I think question about the substance/content of the docstrings should
> always go to the mailing list of the corresponding function.
>
> Josef
>
>>
>> DG
>>>
>>> Vincent
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Mathematician: noun, someone who disavows certainty when their uncertainty
>> set is non-empty, even if that set has measure zero.
>>
>> Hope: noun, that delusive spirit which escaped Pandora's jar and, with her
>> lies, prevents mankind from committing a general suicide.  (As interpreted
>> by Robert Graves)
>>
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>>
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