Merge pull request matplotlib#29697 from rcomer/remove-plot_date

MNT: remove `plot_date`

Author: timhoffm

doc/api/axes_api.rst

@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ Basic
    Axes.errorbar
    Axes.scatter
 
-   Axes.plot_date
    Axes.step
 
    Axes.loglog

doc/api/next_api_changes/removals/29697-REC.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+``plot_date``
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Use of ``plot_date`` has been discouraged since Matplotlib 3.5 and deprecated
+since 3.9. The ``plot_date`` function has now been removed.
+
+- ``datetime``-like data should directly be plotted using `~.Axes.plot`.
+-  If you need to plot plain numeric data as :ref:`date-format` or need to set
+   a timezone, call ``ax.xaxis.axis_date`` / ``ax.yaxis.axis_date`` before
+   `~.Axes.plot`. See `.Axis.axis_date`.

doc/api/prev_api_changes/api_changes_1.4.x.rst

@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ Code changes
   ``matplotlib.testing.image_util.autocontrast``. These will be removed
   completely in v1.5.0.
 
-* The ``fmt`` argument of :meth:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes.plot_date` has been
+* The ``fmt`` argument of ``Axes.plot_date`` has been
   changed from ``bo`` to just ``o``, so color cycling can happen by default.
 
 * Removed the class ``FigureManagerQTAgg`` and deprecated

doc/api/prev_api_changes/api_changes_3.5.0/deprecations.rst

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ type. See their documentation for the types they expect.
 Discouraged: ``plot_date``
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-The use of `~.Axes.plot_date` is discouraged. This method exists for historic
+The use of ``plot_date`` is discouraged. This method exists for historic
 reasons and may be deprecated in the future.
 
 - ``datetime``-like data should directly be plotted using `~.Axes.plot`.

doc/api/prev_api_changes/api_changes_3.9.0/deprecations.rst

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Deprecations
 ``plot_date``
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-Use of `~.Axes.plot_date` has been discouraged since Matplotlib 3.5 and the function is
+Use of ``plot_date`` has been discouraged since Matplotlib 3.5 and the function is
 now formally deprecated.
 
 - ``datetime``-like data should directly be plotted using `~.Axes.plot`.

doc/api/pyplot_summary.rst

@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ Basic
    plot
    errorbar
    scatter
-   plot_date
    step
    loglog
    semilogx

lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py

@@ -1778,87 +1778,6 @@ def plot(self, *args, scalex=True, scaley=True, data=None, **kwargs):
             self._request_autoscale_view("y")
         return lines
 
-    @_api.deprecated("3.9", alternative="plot")
-    @_preprocess_data(replace_names=["x", "y"], label_namer="y")
-    @_docstring.interpd
-    def plot_date(self, x, y, fmt='o', tz=None, xdate=True, ydate=False,
-                  **kwargs):
-        """
-        Plot coercing the axis to treat floats as dates.
-
-        .. deprecated:: 3.9
-
-            This method exists for historic reasons and will be removed in version 3.11.
-
-            - ``datetime``-like data should directly be plotted using
-              `~.Axes.plot`.
-            -  If you need to plot plain numeric data as :ref:`date-format` or
-               need to set a timezone, call ``ax.xaxis.axis_date`` /
-               ``ax.yaxis.axis_date`` before `~.Axes.plot`. See
-               `.Axis.axis_date`.
-
-        Similar to `.plot`, this plots *y* vs. *x* as lines or markers.
-        However, the axis labels are formatted as dates depending on *xdate*
-        and *ydate*.  Note that `.plot` will work with `datetime` and
-        `numpy.datetime64` objects without resorting to this method.
-
-        Parameters
-        ----------
-        x, y : array-like
-            The coordinates of the data points. If *xdate* or *ydate* is
-            *True*, the respective values *x* or *y* are interpreted as
-            :ref:`Matplotlib dates <date-format>`.
-
-        fmt : str, optional
-            The plot format string. For details, see the corresponding
-            parameter in `.plot`.
-
-        tz : timezone string or `datetime.tzinfo`, default: :rc:`timezone`
-            The time zone to use in labeling dates.
-
-        xdate : bool, default: True
-            If *True*, the *x*-axis will be interpreted as Matplotlib dates.
-
-        ydate : bool, default: False
-            If *True*, the *y*-axis will be interpreted as Matplotlib dates.
-
-        Returns
-        -------
-        list of `.Line2D`
-            Objects representing the plotted data.
-
-        Other Parameters
-        ----------------
-        data : indexable object, optional
-            DATA_PARAMETER_PLACEHOLDER
-        **kwargs
-            Keyword arguments control the `.Line2D` properties:
-
-            %(Line2D:kwdoc)s
-
-        See Also
-        --------
-        matplotlib.dates : Helper functions on dates.
-        matplotlib.dates.date2num : Convert dates to num.
-        matplotlib.dates.num2date : Convert num to dates.
-        matplotlib.dates.drange : Create an equally spaced sequence of dates.
-
-        Notes
-        -----
-        If you are using custom date tickers and formatters, it may be
-        necessary to set the formatters/locators after the call to
-        `.plot_date`. `.plot_date` will set the default tick locator to
-        `.AutoDateLocator` (if the tick locator is not already set to a
-        `.DateLocator` instance) and the default tick formatter to
-        `.AutoDateFormatter` (if the tick formatter is not already set to a
-        `.DateFormatter` instance).
-        """
-        if xdate:
-            self.xaxis_date(tz)
-        if ydate:
-            self.yaxis_date(tz)
-        return self.plot(x, y, fmt, **kwargs)
-
     # @_preprocess_data() # let 'plot' do the unpacking..
     @_docstring.interpd
     def loglog(self, *args, **kwargs):

lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.pyi

@@ -200,18 +200,6 @@ class Axes(_AxesBase):
         data=...,
         **kwargs
     ) -> list[Line2D]: ...
-    def plot_date(
-        self,
-        x: ArrayLike,
-        y: ArrayLike,
-        fmt: str = ...,
-        tz: str | datetime.tzinfo | None = ...,
-        xdate: bool = ...,
-        ydate: bool = ...,
-        *,
-        data=...,
-        **kwargs
-    ) -> list[Line2D]: ...
     def loglog(self, *args, **kwargs) -> list[Line2D]: ...
     def semilogx(self, *args, **kwargs) -> list[Line2D]: ...
     def semilogy(self, *args, **kwargs) -> list[Line2D]: ...

lib/matplotlib/pyplot.py

@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from collections.abc import Callable, Hashable, Iterable, Sequence
-    import datetime
     import pathlib
     import os
     from typing import Any, BinaryIO, Literal, TypeVar
@@ -3834,31 +3833,6 @@ def plot(
     )
 
 
-# Autogenerated by boilerplate.py.  Do not edit as changes will be lost.
-@_copy_docstring_and_deprecators(Axes.plot_date)
-def plot_date(
-    x: ArrayLike,
-    y: ArrayLike,
-    fmt: str = "o",
-    tz: str | datetime.tzinfo | None = None,
-    xdate: bool = True,
-    ydate: bool = False,
-    *,
-    data=None,
-    **kwargs,
-) -> list[Line2D]:
-    return gca().plot_date(
-        x,
-        y,
-        fmt=fmt,
-        tz=tz,
-        xdate=xdate,
-        ydate=ydate,
-        **({"data": data} if data is not None else {}),
-        **kwargs,
-    )
-
-
 # Autogenerated by boilerplate.py.  Do not edit as changes will be lost.
 @_copy_docstring_and_deprecators(Axes.psd)
 def psd(