Re: [Gretl-devel] python foreign problems

ok I'm really sorry that adding Python support now leads to additional bugs and problems, but I hope these are just toothing pains:

First, a prelim question: In the gretl_io.py file that gretl writes out, why use this function <python> def gretl_dotdir(): dotdir = "C:/Users/svenne/AppData/Roaming/gretl/" return dotdir </python> instead of just a plain string definition 'gretl_dotdir = "<whatever>"'?

Secondly, in the 'gretl_export()' function (also in gretl_io.py) the seemingly innocuous line 'r, c = M.shape' might be problematic for vectors (given the next issue this is currently hard to test, but I will). The point is that in numpy vectors may be represented as 1-dim-arrays; their 'shape' tuple will be '(n,)' and thus have only length one. I guess there are two solutions; either do a check like 'len(M.shape)==1', or force M to be a numpy-matrix which is guaranteed to be 2-dim like gretl matrices. Let me test and then think about it.

Third, a real problem: The gretltmp.py file written by gretl does not preserve the indentation from within gretl's foreign block! Since Python uses indentation/whitespace as a syntax element, this is completely broken. Allin, your example in ch. 39 doesn't have any indented blocks it seems, and so you didn't notice.

And finally, another indentation-related less severe problem: gretl's script editor's on-the-fly indentation is a little annoying when writing in Python because it does it wrong (understandably). Could this be somehow turned off inside foreign blocks?