pydata / pydata/xarray

Rename/reword `parallel=True` option to `open_mfdataset`

Open
#6,433 2 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

topic-documentation
Dominant language
Python
Stars
4.2k
Forks
1.4k
Avg merge
2d 15h
Merged PRs (30d)
14

Description

What is your issue?

Based on its name, I was surprised to find that open_mfdataset(..., parallel=True) computed the whole dataset eagerly, whereas parallel=False just returned it in dask form. (I generally think of "dask" as related to "parallel".)

I guess the docs do technically say this, but it's a bit hard to parse:

If True, the open and preprocess steps of this function will be performed in parallel using dask.delayed. Default is False.

The docstring could maybe instead mention "If False (default), the data is returned in dask form. If True, it will be computed immediately (using dask), then returned in NumPy form".

More intuitive to me would be renaming the argument to compute=False. Or even deprecating the argument entirely and having a load_mfdataset function, in the same way that load_dataset is the eager version of open_dataset.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the open_mfdataset entry point and its generated documentation, especially the description of the parallel option. Review the existing behavior and related open_dataset/load_dataset API before deciding whether the issue calls for wording, a renamed option, or a new function. Done means the chosen API or documentation clearly distinguishes lazy and eager behavior, with coverage for the resulting interface.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
numpy, python
Domain
data
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.