Finite field elements should not have a _matrix_ method

[jdemeyer]

This is unexpected:

sage: k.<a> = GF(4)
sage: matrix(a, nrows=2, ncols=2)
[0 1]
[1 1]

because one would typically expect a scalar matrix instead:

sage: R.<a> = EisensteinIntegers()
sage: matrix(a, nrows=2, ncols=2)
[a 0]
[0 a]

This is because finite field elements implement _matrix_ and this takes priority in the matrix constructor.

Proposal: rename _matrix_ to matrix to make it usable as ordinary method.

Component: linear algebra

Author: Jeroen Demeyer

Branch/Commit: bde1b85

Reviewer: Frédéric Chapoton

Issue created by migration from https://trac.sagemath.org/ticket/24865

[jdemeyer]

Branch: u/jdemeyer/finite_field_elements_should_not_have_a__matrix__method

[jdemeyer]

Commit: a4ad055

[jdemeyer]

New commits:

a4ad055

Finite field elements should not have a `_matrix_` method

[fchapoton]

Reviewer: Frédéric Chapoton

[fchapoton]

comment:4

the doc of the matrix method may need to start by r"""

[jdemeyer]

comment:5

Replying to @fchapoton:

the doc of the matrix method may need to start by r"""

Is there are particular reason? The patchbot is green...

[fchapoton]

comment:6

I have seen a \dots in the doc. But ok, let it be..

[sagetrac-git]

Branch pushed to git repo; I updated commit sha1 and set ticket back to needs_review. This was a forced push. New commits:

bde1b85

Finite field elements should not have a `_matrix_` method

[sagetrac-git]

Changed commit from a4ad055 to bde1b85

[jdemeyer]

comment:8

I changed it anyway. I guess it doesn't hurt.

[vbraun]

Changed branch from u/jdemeyer/finite_field_elements_should_not_have_a__matrix__method to bde1b85