mesh in FiPy name space

[wd15]

 >>> from fipy import *
 >>> print mesh
 <module 'fipy.meshes.mesh' from '/users/wd15/Documents/python/fipy/trunk/fipy/meshes/mesh.pyc'>

This could cause no end of confusion

Imported from trac ticket #319, created by wd15 on 02-15-2011 at 12:03, last modified: 11-09-2011 at 20:29

[jamesob]

The only apparent remedy for this (without renaming classes) would entail changing a line in fipy/__init__.py from

from meshes import *

to

from meshes import (Grid1D, Grid2D, Grid3D,
CylindricalGrid1D, CylindricalGrid2D,
PeriodicGrid1D, PeriodicGrid2D,
PeriodicGrid2DLeftRight, PeriodicGrid2DTopBottom,
SkewedGrid2D,
Tri2D,
GmshImporter2D, GmshImporter3D, GmshImporter2DIn3DSpace,
Gmsh2D, Gmsh3D, Gmsh2DIn3DSpace,
GmshGrid2D, GmshGrid3D)

This is sort of ugly because, under this change, whenever a new mesh is added to FiPy, two __init__s must be updated instead of one. Otherwise, though, I think the appearance of mesh in the global namespace is unavoidable, as it is necessarily brought into scope by from meshes import *.

An alternative would be to change mesh's name to AbstractMesh, or something similar. This may even be a more accurate reflection of the class' purpose.

Trac comment by obeirne on 02-15-2011 at 14:45

[guyer]

Rather than

from meshes import (Grid1D, Grid2D, Grid3D,
CylindricalGrid1D, CylindricalGrid2D,
PeriodicGrid1D, PeriodicGrid2D,
PeriodicGrid2DLeftRight, PeriodicGrid2DTopBottom,
SkewedGrid2D,
Tri2D,
GmshImporter2D, GmshImporter3D, GmshImporter2DIn3DSpace,
Gmsh2D, Gmsh3D, Gmsh2DIn3DSpace,
GmshGrid2D, GmshGrid3D)

in fipy/__init__.py, it is more correct (but no less work) to set

__all__ = ["Grid1D", "Grid2D", "Grid3D",
"CylindricalGrid1D", "CylindricalGrid2D", ...]

in fipy/meshes/__init__.py.

There's an argument that we should be much more explicit about what the user gets by from fipy import * anyway.

Trac comment by guyer on 02-15-2011 at 15:17

[guyer]

fipy namespace cleaned up with pervasive use of __all__ in r4847

Trac comment by guyer on 11-09-2011 at 20:29