[python-control-announce] python-control 0.8.4 now available

[Murray, R. M. <mu...@cd...>]

Version 0.8.4 of the python-control toolbox is now available for download on GitHub, as well as via pip and conda.  This version contains improvements in calculation of default values for time responses as well as improvements for discrete-time systems.  There are also many other individual additions and improvements throughout the code and documentation.   A detailed list of changes is appended to the bottom of this message.

Note: this is the last planned release in the 0.8.x series.  Starting with release 0.9.0, we will be making some changes that could break user code, including deprecating the use of the numpy.matrix type for state space objects and (gradually) removing support for Python 2.7.  More details in https://github.com/python-control/python-control/issues/451.

Installation instructions:

 pip install slycot     # optional
 pip install control

You should get slycot-0.4.0.0 and python-control-0.8.4.  In order to install slycot via pip you will need to have a Fortran compiler on your system.  Note that python-control depends on numpy, scipy, and matplotlib and you will need recent versions of all of these packages in order to run v0.8.4.

Binary installations are available for Linux, Mac, and Windows platforms using conda and conda-forge:

 conda install -c conda-forge control

Slycot should be installed automatically, without the need for a Fortran compiler.  (Note: if you try this an get version 0.8.3, trying using 

Documentation is available at

 https://python-control.readthedocs.org/

A detailed list of changes is appended below.

-richard


This release introduces several new features as well as bug fixes and documentation improvements:

* Improved default time vector for time response functions (bnavigator, sawyerbfuller)

* New use_legacy_defaults function to allow compatibility with previous versions (sawyerbfuller)

* Allow creation of non-proper transfer functions (bnavigator, rlegnain)

* Added ability to set arrow head length and width option in nyquist_plot (geekonloose)

* Added ability to 'prewarp' the conversion of continuous to discrete-time systems (sawyerbfuller)

* Added rlocus capability for discrete-time systems (sawyerbfuller)

* Updated pzmap grid to be compatible with matplotlib updates (bnavigator)

* Implement loadable string representation (repr) for tf, ss, and frd (repagh)

* Fixed margin computation for discrete time systems (bnavigator)

* Fixed indexing bug in bdalg.connect (sawyerbfuller)

* Fixed InterconnectedSystem naming bugs, improved conventions (samlaf)

* Fixed LinearIOSystem output bug in output function (francescoseccamonte)

* Fixed bug in forced_response that overrode squeeze parameter (bnavigator)

* Use rad/sec for Bode plot in MATLAB bode (was erroneously defaulting to Hertz) (paulvicioso)

* Removed deprecated scipy calls and updated to latest numpy (bnavigator)

* Multiple documentation updates (bnavigator, laurensvalk)

* New and improved examples for sisotool, pvtol (repagh, samlaf)

* The rlocus function no longer automatically creates a new figure

* Updated unit tests + switch to pytest (bnavigator, sawyerbfuller)

* Return type for eigenvalues in lqe changed to 1D array (matches lqr)

* Small fixes + documentation updates to markov

More info: https://github.com/python-control/python-control/releases/tag/0.8.4