[SciPy-dev] Warnings about incompatibilities ahead

[Travis Oliphant]

This is a warning regarding changes to the C-API of scipy core I'm going 
to check in (hopefully by the end of the day).

1) PyArray_Typecode structure is going away --- I always hated it.  All 
C-API interfaces that use it will instead take a pointer to 
PyArray_Descr *.  If the C-API actually used the funny fortran member of 
the structure, a new argument called fortran will be placed in the 
calling sequence.

2) The itemsize member on the array is going back into the PyArray_Descr 
where it belongs.  Note that PyArray_ITEMSIZE(self) will not be affected 
its just that

3) There will be a new attribute .descr that returns the PyArray_Descr 
object (it's now a real object).

4) New C-API calls will be added.

These changes are being made to facilitated nested records, but I think 
they are good changes anyway and now is better than later.  I'm the one 
who has to pay the biggest price by fixing all the code in scipy core to 
get rid of PyArray_Typecode, references to self->itemsize and to allow 
for dynamic PyArray_Descr * objects.  

I noticed people are starting to use the C-API, so this is a warning not 
to 1) use PyArray_Typecode and 2) use direct access to the itemsize 
member of an array.

Thanks,

-Travis