numpy / numpy/numpydoc

Allow param lists to split on ': ' rather than ' : '

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Dominant language
Python
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355
Forks
181
Avg merge
1d 9h
Merged PRs (30d)
3

Description

It is very easy to mistakenly separate parameter names from their type description by ': ' instead of the correct ' : '. There are at least 260 instances in Scikit-learn, for instance, and Joblib appears to use : without a preceding space as a standard. This variation is unsurprising when See Also, for instance, does not require a space before its colons.

Would we expect great ramifications were we to change it to allow a single colon followed by whitespace as delimiter?

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Research direction

The issue names no files or tests; start by locating the parameter-list parsing entry point and its existing delimiter tests. Check how ' : ' is currently recognized and whether ': ' can be accepted without changing other field syntax; done means the new delimiter works while existing parsing remains compatible.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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