deprecate undocumented matplotlib/mpl.py

ivanov · ivanov · commit 45b340b4b3e4 · 2012-12-04T23:45:56.000-08:00
`matplotlib/mpl.py` is a file which used to get imported via ipython's
`%pyplot` interface as module named `mpl`, yet it isn't clear at all
what it's role is.

Given that in our own code, and in the rest of our python neighborhood,
we often do `import matplotlib as mpl`, it's quite a bit confusing to
have something with the `mpl` name within matplotlib not be the
`matplotlib` module itself.

This module was only used in `pylab` interface, where it was simply
imported in one line via `from matplotlib import mpl` and never used
again. With the exception of mpl.finance, all of the modules in mpl.py
were readily available simply via "import matplotlib as mpl".

pylab's mpl.finance functionality is retained for backwards
compatability.
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+
+2012-11-26 deprecate matplotlib/mpl.py, which was used only in pylab.py and is
+           now replaced by the more suitable `import matplotlib as mpl`. - PI
+
 2012-11-13 Add a symmetric log normalization class to colors.py.
            Also added some tests for the normalization class.
            Till Stensitzki
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl.py b/lib/matplotlib/mpl.py
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+import warnings
+warnings.warn(
+    "matplotlib.mpl is deprecated and will be removed in the next release."
+    "Please use `import matplotlib as mpl` instead",
+    DeprecationWarning)
 from matplotlib import artist
 from matplotlib import axis
 from matplotlib import axes
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/pylab.py b/lib/matplotlib/pylab.py
@@ -219,7 +219,10 @@
 from cbook import flatten, is_string_like, exception_to_str, \
      silent_list, iterable, dedent
 
-from matplotlib import mpl  # pulls in most modules
+import matplotlib as mpl
+# make mpl.finance module available for backwards compatability, in case folks
+# using pylab interface depended on not having to import it
+import matplotlib.finance
 
 from matplotlib.dates import date2num, num2date,\
         datestr2num, strpdate2num, drange,\
