validator enforces rule RT03 for return None

[gboeing]

If I have a function like:

def return_none(number: int) -> None:
    """
    Return None.

    Parameters
    ----------
    number
        This is an argument.

    Returns
    -------
    None
    """
    number += 1
    return None

numpydoc validation fails with the error:

+-----------------+------------------+---------+---------------------------------+
| file            | item             | check   | description                     |
+=================+==================+=========+=================================+
| test.py:1       | test.return_none | RT03    | Return value has no description |
+-----------------+------------------+---------+---------------------------------+

Does the numpydoc spec actually expect return None to have a value description in the docstring? I can't find any examples of this or what the description is supposed to be. All the examples I see show no docstring description for None in this circumstance.

What should this description look like? Or is the validator in the wrong?

[stefanv]

I think the expectation is not to have a Returns section in this case, since your function isn't returning anything.

[gboeing]

That makes sense. Is that the official spec? I didn't see that that was the convention from reading through the style guide.

[gboeing]

I'll close this, given that you implied that this expectation is part of the official spec. But it may be useful to update the spec to make it explicit, because I didn't see that convention in reading through the style guide.