FIX: clean up documentation and modernise code

[sunnysideup]

Nothing special here, just a quick cleanup. Do with it as you please (happy for someone else to commit properly).

Description

Manual testing steps

Issues

Pull request checklist

• The target branch is correct
  • See picking the right version
• All commits are relevant to the purpose of the PR (e.g. no debug statements, unrelated refactoring, or arbitrary linting)
  • Small amounts of additional linting are usually okay, but if it makes it hard to concentrate on the relevant changes, ask for the unrelated changes to be reverted, and submitted as a separate PR.
• The commit messages follow our commit message guidelines
• The PR follows our contribution guidelines
• Code changes follow our coding conventions
• This change is covered with tests (or tests aren't necessary for this change)
• Any relevant User Help/Developer documentation is updated; for impactful changes, information is added to the changelog for the intended release
• CI is green

[GuySartorelli]

I've added back the pull request template that you deleted. I've asked you this before but please don't delete the template - fill it out completely instead. I will start automatically closing your pull requests if you continue to ignore this request.

The template is there to speed up the process for everyone - it gives an immediately clear indication of what state the pull request is in, and ensures you do things like for example set the correct commit message (please read that link and change the commit prefix to ENH - this is not a bug fix) without needing to be asked.

[GuySartorelli]

Can't strictly type the return type outside of a major release.

[GuySartorelli]

Isn't this already an array? Why are you casting this here?

[GuySartorelli]

Your message in the pull request description implies you might not be interested in making the requested changes - if that's the case please just close the PR. While I appreciate your intentions, opening pul requests that you don't intend to see through to their conclusion is not helpful.

[GuySartorelli]

Closing as there hasn't been any response in almost a month