Re: [Matplotlib-users] Re: matplotlib.mlab.find() not quite like Matlab"s

[Darren D. <dd...@co...>]

Hi Chris,

>> Matlab also returns one object- the varargout cell array which is 
>> similar to Python's list or tuple. You write a function, and pack 
>> varargout with nargout results: [a,b]=matlabfun().
>
>
>
> I haven't used Matlab for a while, and not a newer version than 5.*, 
> but  IIRC, while the above notation looks, like you are returning a 
> cell array, you could not call that fun with a single return argument. 
> Perhaps that's changed, in which case you shouldn't use nargout in 
> Matlab either!


Maybe my example wasn't clear. There are good reasons for using 
varargout and nargout in Matlab. If I write a function to fit a peak, I 
can return the position, height, FWHM and sumResiduals along with some 
information about how the peakfitting algorithm concluded. If a user 
calls [p,h,fwhm,sr] = peakfit(x,y), you use nargout to determine that 
the caller does not want the algorithm report.

>
> Anyway, my main point was that kludging a nargout implementation in 
> python was not a good idea. I'd much rather see matplotlib be 
> pythonesque than matlabesque. Perhaps my goals are different than 
> others, but I use Python, rather than Matlab, largely because I like 
> the language better.
>
I originally looked into Python because everyone who works with it loves 
it, and it is free. I felt that the switch could be quick and painless 
because of John and the other MPL developers efforts with the Matlab 
interface. I would probably have waited to switch until after graduating 
if I hadnt googled "Python AND Matlab" one fateful day. (Cornell 
recently sent me a survey asking whether I felt $230 was fair for a 12 
month license!). The matlab interface is already matlabesque. I think 
*args and Matlab's varargin are equivalent. Let me write up some 
examples using nargout as it is intended to be used, and I'll submit 
them to the list in a new thread. This one has strayed a bit from the 
original topic.

Darren