[Numpy-discussion] assigning to submatrix

[Perry Greenfield]

> If I have a large matrix, say
> 
>   a = zeros( (20,20) )
> 
> and a small matrix
> 
>   b = ones( 3,4 )
> 
> and a list of row indices and a list of col indices
> 
>   rind = [2,4,9,15]
>   cind = [1,4,12]
> 
> what is the best way to assign the submatrix to a[rind,cind].  I
> understand this is possible in numarray, but is there a good way to do
> it in Numeric?
> 
> In matlab, you could do a(rind, cind)=b;  Is there some reshape, put
> magic I can do to make this efficient in Numeric?
> 
> Thanks,
> John Hunter

Note that numarray doesn't do the same thing as matlab in this
regard. In particular, the expression

a[rind, cind] = b

would fail since it is expecting an array on the right hand side
that is the same shape as the index arrays. The assignment here
is taken to mean:

a[rind[0], cind[0]] = b[0]
a[rind[1], cind[1]] = b[1]
etc.

not:

a[rind[0], cind[0]] = b[0,0]
etc.

To do what you want doesn't currently have any atomic operation
in numarray. Is this widely used?

At the moment I think you would be forced to iterate over
one dimension. E.g.,

for i in range(len(rind)):
    a[cind, rind[i]] = b[:, i]

[Note that I reordered the index arrays to match b; I wasn't sure
what was intended]

There may be some clever way to avoid the explicit looping. Nothing
prevents the addition of such a feature to numarray (other than
work!), but it would likely have to use a function. I think
the current defintion of how multiple index puts and takes work with
brackets is more useful than the interpretation you are using and isn't
likely to change.

Perry