Re: [Numpy-discussion] How to make sqrt(-1) be 1j

[Tim H. <tim...@ie...>]

Bill Baxter wrote:
> On 10/13/06, Tim Hochberg <tim...@ie...> wrote:
>   
>> For this sort of thing, I
>> would just make a new module to pull together the function I want and
>> use that instead. It's then easy to explain that this new module bbeconf
>> (Bill Baxter's Excellent Collection Of Numeric Functions) is actually an
>> amalgamation of stuff from multiple sources.
>>
>>     # bbeconf.py
>>     from numpy import *
>>     fromnumpy.scimath import sqrt
>>     # possibly some other stuff to correctly handle subpackages...
>>     
>
> That does sound like a good way to do it.
> Then you just tell your users to import 'eduNumpy'  rather than numpy,
> and you're good to go.
> Added that suggestion to http://www.scipy.org/NegativeSquareRoot
>
> I'd like to ask one basic Python question related my previous
> suggestion of doing things like "numpy.sqrt = numpy.lib.scimath.sqrt":
> In python does that make it so that any module importing numpy in the
> same program will now see the altered sqrt function?  E.g. in my
> program I do "import A,B".  Module A alters numpy.sqrt.  Does that
> also modify how module B sees numpy.sqrt?
>   
Indeed it does. Module imports are cached in sys.modules, so numpy is 
only imported once. (With some effort, you can usually get your own 
private copy of a module, that you could mess with to your hearts 
content, but I generally wouldn't recommend it).
> If so then that's a very good reason not to do it that way.
>
> I've heard people using the term "monkey-patch" before.  Is that what that is?
>   
I believe that is what the term refers to although I'm not absolutely 
certain.

-tim