Figure.plot/Figure.plot3d: Improve the docstrings for straight_line (#3720)

Co-authored-by: Yvonne Fröhlich <[email protected]>

Author: seisman

pygmt/src/plot.py

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 plot - Plot in two dimensions.
 """
 
+from typing import Literal
+
 from pygmt.clib import Session
 from pygmt.exceptions import GMTInvalidInput
 from pygmt.helpers import (
@@ -49,7 +51,15 @@
 )
 @kwargs_to_strings(R="sequence", c="sequence_comma", i="sequence_comma", p="sequence")
 def plot(
-    self, data=None, x=None, y=None, size=None, symbol=None, direction=None, **kwargs
+    self,
+    data=None,
+    x=None,
+    y=None,
+    size=None,
+    symbol=None,
+    direction=None,
+    straight_line: bool | Literal["x", "y"] = False,  # noqa: ARG001
+    **kwargs,
 ):
     r"""
     Plot lines, polygons, and symbols in 2-D.
@@ -98,18 +108,29 @@ def plot(
         depending on the style options chosen.
     {projection}
     {region}
-    straight_line : bool or str
-        [**m**\|\ **p**\|\ **x**\|\ **y**].
-        By default, geographic line segments are drawn as great circle
-        arcs. To draw them as straight lines, use
-        ``straight_line=True``.
-        Alternatively, add **m** to draw the line by first following a
-        meridian, then a parallel. Or append **p** to start following a
-        parallel, then a meridian. (This can be practical to draw a line
-        along parallels, for example). For Cartesian data, points are
-        simply connected, unless you append **x** or **y** to draw
-        stair-case curves that whose first move is along *x* or *y*,
-        respectively.
+    straight_line
+        By default, line segments are drawn as straight lines in the Cartesian and polar
+        coordinate systems, and as great circle arcs (by resampling coarse input data
+        along such arcs) in the geographic coordinate system. The ``straight_line``
+        parameter can control the drawing of line segments. Valid values are:
+
+        - ``True``: Draw line segments as straight lines in geographic coordinate
+          systems.
+        - ``"x"``: Draw line segments by first along *x*, then along *y*.
+        - ``"y"``: Draw line segments by first along *y*, then along *x*.
+
+        Here, *x* and *y* have different meanings depending on the coordinate system:
+
+        - **Cartesian** coordinate system: *x* and *y* are the X- and Y-axes.
+        - **Polar** coordinate system: *x* and *y* are theta and radius.
+        - **Geographic** coordinate system: *x* and *y* are parallels and meridians.
+
+        .. attention::
+
+            There exits a bug in GMT<=6.5.0 that, in geographic coordinate systems, the
+            meaning of *x* and *y* is reversed, i.e., *x* means meridians and *y* means
+            parallels. The bug is fixed by upstream
+            `PR #8648 <https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/gmt/pull/8648>`__.
     {frame}
     {cmap}
     offset : str
@@ -206,6 +227,8 @@ def plot(
         ``x``/``y``.
     {wrap}
     """
+    # TODO(GMT>6.5.0): Remove the note for the upstream bug of the "straight_line"
+    # parameter.
     kwargs = self._preprocess(**kwargs)
 
     kind = data_kind(data)

pygmt/src/plot3d.py

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 plot3d - Plot in three dimensions.
 """
 
+from typing import Literal
+
 from pygmt.clib import Session
 from pygmt.exceptions import GMTInvalidInput
 from pygmt.helpers import (
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ def plot3d(
     size=None,
     symbol=None,
     direction=None,
+    straight_line: bool | Literal["x", "y"] = False,  # noqa: ARG001
     **kwargs,
 ):
     r"""
@@ -108,18 +111,31 @@ def plot3d(
     zscale/zsize : float or str
         Set z-axis scaling or z-axis size.
     {region}
-    straight_line : bool or str
-        [**m**\|\ **p**\|\ **x**\|\ **y**].
-        By default, geographic line segments are drawn as great circle
-        arcs. To draw them as straight lines, use ``straight_line``.
-        Alternatively, add **m** to draw the line by first following a
-        meridian, then a parallel. Or append **p** to start following a
-        parallel, then a meridian. (This can be practical to draw a line
-        along parallels, for example). For Cartesian data, points are
-        simply connected, unless you append **x** or **y** to draw
-        stair-case curves that whose first move is along *x* or *y*,
-        respectively. **Note**: The ``straight_line`` parameter requires
-        constant *z*-coordinates.
+    straight_line
+        By default, line segments are drawn as straight lines in the Cartesian and polar
+        coordinate systems, and as great circle arcs (by resampling coarse input data
+        along such arcs) in the geographic coordinate system. The ``straight_line``
+        parameter can control the drawing of line segments. Valid values are:
+
+        - ``True``: Draw line segments as straight lines in geographic coordinate
+          systems.
+        - ``"x"``: Draw line segments by first along *x*, then along *y*.
+        - ``"y"``: Draw line segments by first along *y*, then along *x*.
+
+        Here, *x* and *y* have different meanings depending on the coordinate system:
+
+        - **Cartesian** coordinate system: *x* and *y* are the X- and Y-axes.
+        - **Polar** coordinate system: *x* and *y* are theta and radius.
+        - **Geographic** coordinate system: *x* and *y* are parallels and meridians.
+
+        **NOTE**: The ``straight_line`` parameter requires constant *z*-coordinates.
+
+        .. attention::
+
+            There exits a bug in GMT<=6.5.0 that, in geographic coordinate systems, the
+            meaning of *x* and *y* is reversed, i.e., *x* means meridians and *y* means
+            parallels. The bug is fixed by upstream
+            `PR #8648 <https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/gmt/pull/8648>`__.
     {frame}
     {cmap}
     offset : str
@@ -189,6 +205,8 @@ def plot3d(
         ``x``/``y``/``z``.
     {wrap}
     """
+    # TODO(GMT>6.5.0): Remove the note for the upstream bug of the "straight_line"
+    # parameter.
     kwargs = self._preprocess(**kwargs)
 
     kind = data_kind(data)