[Numpy-discussion] Is a string a scalar?

[Robert Kern]

On Wed, May 7, 2008 at 3:58 PM, Keith Goodman <kwgoodman at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, May 7, 2008 at 1:37 PM, Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > On Wed, May 7, 2008 at 3:24 PM, Keith Goodman <kwgoodman at gmail.com> wrote:
>  >  > >> np.isscalar('string')
>  >  >    True
>  >
>  >  <shrug> Either option would cause someone to complain. It's not a
>  >  cut-and-dry issue. However, since strings can be atomic elements
>  >  through the various '|S<N>' dtypes, and we already have rules to
>  >  special-case strings as atomic, "numpy.isscalar('string') == False"
>  >  would be more inconsistent.
>
>  BTW, I noticed that defmatrix.py uses isscalar (from numeric import
>  isscalar) and N.isscalar (import numpric as N). Each is used only one
>  time. It confused me a little at first. But that's not saying much.

Different authors at different times. It should be cleaned up.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless
enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as
though it had an underlying truth."
 -- Umberto Eco