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Use a single `path` argument (and deprecate `pn_dir` and `file_name`)

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#534 3 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Assessment

Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Newbie friendliness
25/100
Issue type
Refactor
Clarity
Mostly clear
Activity status
Stale
Tech stack
python

Research direction

Start by tracing the WFDB API entry points that accept pn_dir and file_name, then identify the logic that automatically retrieves files from PhysioNet servers. Define the affected calls and compatibility behavior before changing them. Done means a single path argument is supported, the older arguments are deprecated, and implicit remote retrieval is removed.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

Currently the WFDB API uses 2 arguments to specify the location of files: pn_dir and file_name. This is confusing for users and confusing for developers (e.g. see: https://github.com/MIT-LCP/wfdb-python/pull/523/files).

I think the reason for having two arguments is to support auto-detection of files (e.g. get locally if local and if not get from the PhysioNet servers). This kind of behaviour doesn't seem like a good idea. If WFDB is retrieving a remote file, it should be explicit.

My preference would be to:

  • Introduce a new path argument
  • Deprecate pn_dir and file_name
  • Remove any logic that automatically retrieves files from remote servers.
Dominant language
Jupyter Notebook
Stars
853
Forks
322
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

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