DEPR: remove 'columns' kw from DataFrame.sort (prior deprecated circa 2012)

Author: jreback

doc/source/release.rst

@@ -128,6 +128,14 @@ API Changes
 - A tuple passed to ``DataFame.sort_index`` will be interpreted as the levels of
   the index, rather than requiring a list of tuple (:issue:`4370`)
 
+Deprecations
+~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Prior Version Deprecations/Changes
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- Remove ``column`` keyword from ``DataFrame.sort`` (:issue:`4370`)
+
 Experimental Features
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

doc/source/v0.14.0.txt

@@ -276,7 +276,9 @@ You can use a right-hand-side of an alignable object as well.
 Prior Version Deprecations/Changes
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-There are no announced changes in 0.13.1 or prior that are taking effect as of 0.14.0
+Therse are prior version deprecations that are taking effect as of 0.14.0.
+
+- Remove ``column`` keyword from ``DataFrame.sort`` (:issue:`4370`)
 
 Deprecations
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

pandas/core/frame.py

@@ -2530,7 +2530,7 @@ def _m8_to_i8(x):
     #----------------------------------------------------------------------
     # Sorting
 
-    def sort(self, columns=None, column=None, axis=0, ascending=True,
+    def sort(self, columns=None, axis=0, ascending=True,
              inplace=False):
         """
         Sort DataFrame either by labels (along either axis) or by the values in
@@ -2539,8 +2539,9 @@ def sort(self, columns=None, column=None, axis=0, ascending=True,
         Parameters
         ----------
         columns : object
-            Column name(s) in frame. Accepts a column name or a list or tuple
-            for a nested sort.
+            Column name(s) in frame. Accepts a column name or a list
+            for a nested sort. A tuple will be interpreted as the
+            levels of a multi-index.
         ascending : boolean or list, default True
             Sort ascending vs. descending. Specify list for multiple sort
             orders
@@ -2557,9 +2558,6 @@ def sort(self, columns=None, column=None, axis=0, ascending=True,
         -------
         sorted : DataFrame
         """
-        if column is not None:  # pragma: no cover
-            warnings.warn("column is deprecated, use columns", FutureWarning)
-            columns = column
         return self.sort_index(by=columns, axis=axis, ascending=ascending,
                                inplace=inplace)