Dear NumPy Community, I would like to propose an enhancement to NumPy's print options that allows them to be initialized from environment variables. This would provide a more convenient way to configure array formatting without modifying source code. Background
Currently, NumPy print options are initialized with default values and can be modified using numpy.set_printoptions() or the numpy.printoptions context manager. While effective, these approaches require explicit modifications to the source code, which is not always convenient. This discussion has been started on GitHub in issue #22188 <https://github.com/numpy/numpy/issues/22188>. Proposal I propose that NumPy print options be initialized from environment variables prefixed with NUMPY_PRINTOPTION_. For example, the precision option could be set using export NUMPY_PRINTOPTION_PRECISION=4 or on-demand execution as follows. NUMPY_PRINTOPTION_LINEWIDTH=120 python my-fancy-solver.py This approach has several advantages. 1. *Better Utilization of Wide Displays* The default line width of 80 is reasonable, but modern screens and terminals allow for wider output. Environment variables would provide a simple way to adjust this setting without modifying the code. 2. *No Source Code Modification Required* Changing print options via np.printoptions requires access to a text editor, which may not always be available (e.g., in isolated environments like Docker containers). Using environment variables allows for quick, non-invasive configuration. 3. *Familiar and Well-Understood Mechanism* Environment variables are a widely used and standard approach for configuring software behavior, making them a natural fit for setting print options. I would appreciate feedback on this idea, particularly regarding implementation details and any potential issues that might arise. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Best regards, Daniel Bershatsky
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