feat: enhance array loading to handle negative values and floats (#4236)

* feat: enhance array loading to handle negative values and floats in tests

* feat: add test for loading tables with negative values and floats

* chore: adding changelog file 4236.added.md [dependabot-skip]

---------

Co-authored-by: pyansys-ci-bot <92810346+pyansys-ci-bot@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: germa89

doc/changelog.d/4236.added.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Enhance array loading to handle negative values and floats

src/ansys/mapdl/core/mapdl_extended.py

@@ -2872,10 +2872,10 @@ def load_array(self, name, array):
         self._log.info(f"Generating file for table in {filename}")
         np.savetxt(
             filename,
-            array,
+            array.ravel(),
             delimiter="",
             header="File generated by PyMAPDL:load_array",
-            fmt="%24.18e",
+            fmt="%+24.18e",  # adding sign.
         )
 
         if not self._local:
@@ -2888,7 +2888,7 @@ def load_array(self, name, array):
             n2 = imax
             n3 = kmax
             self.vread(name, filename, n1=n1, n2=n2, n3=n3, label=label, nskip=1)
-            fmt = f"({jmax}E24.18)"
+            fmt = f"(1E25.18)"  # Adding one extra space for the sign
             logger.info("Using *VREAD with format %s in %s", fmt, filename)
             self.run(fmt)
 

tests/test_mapdl.py

@@ -912,6 +912,38 @@ def test_load_table(mapdl, cleared, dim_rows, dim_cols, col_header):
         assert np.allclose(mapdl.parameters["my_conv"], my_conv[:, 1:], atol=1e-7)
 
 
+def test_load_array_negative_and_floats(mapdl, cleared):
+    my_array = np.array(
+        [
+            [0, 0.001],
+            [120, 0.001],
+            [130, 0.005],
+            [-700, 0.005],
+            [710, 0.002],
+            [1000, -0.002],
+        ]
+    )
+
+    mapdl.load_array("MY_ARRAY", my_array)
+    assert np.allclose(mapdl.parameters["MY_ARRAY"], my_array)
+
+
+def test_load_table_negative_and_floats(mapdl, cleared):
+    my_array = np.array(
+        [
+            [-100, 0.001],
+            [-20, 0.001],
+            [10, -0.005],
+            [700, 0.005],
+            [710, 0.200001],
+            [1000, -0.002],
+        ]
+    )
+
+    mapdl.load_table("MY_ARRAY", my_array)
+    assert np.allclose(mapdl.parameters["MY_ARRAY"].ravel(), my_array[:, 1].ravel())
+
+
 def test_load_table_error_ascending_row(mapdl, cleared):
     my_conv = np.ones((3, 3))
     my_conv[1, 0] = 4