1.8.0rc4

@henryiii updated the Python style to take advantage of Python 3.6 and above (format strings!): PR #1244, #1246. Fixed a problem associated with building twice: PR #1254. Added shellcheck: PR #1243. Updated pytest config: PR #1255. Added dependabot: PR #1263. Updated black: PR #1267. Added nox and pylint support: PR #1262. Updated style using pylint: PR #1275.

@agoose77 and @ianna fixed a segfault in reducers on >= 4-dimensional arrays with axis != -1 (v1 and v2): PR #1274.

@jpivarski allowed ak.nan_to_num arguments to be arrays: PR #1298. This is a blocker for scikit-hep/vector#172, motivating the final push toward 1.8.0 release.

Version 2.0 development:

@ioanaif implemented ak.type, ak.values_astype: PR #1234. Implemented ak.parameters: PR #1242. Implemented ak.with_field: PR #1292. Implemented ak.with_parameter: PR #1289. Implemented ak.full_like, ak.zeros_like, ak.ones_like: PR #1293. Implemented ak.without_parameters: PR #1297. Implemented ak.fields: PR #1296.

@ianna converted JSON serialization/deserialization to v2: PR #1207.

@swishdiff updated the Awkward-CUDA building infrastructure: PR #1270. Updated v2 kernel-calling to call CUDA kernels: PR #1276.

@agoose77 fixed parameters for flattening of RecordArrays: PR #1214. Added support for mixed array types in nplike.to_rectilinear (internal helper function): PR #1248. Fixed Bit/ByteMaskedArray's simplify_optiontype: PR #1259. Added a missing usage of simplify_optiontype: PR #1279.

@douglasdavis fixed a typo: PR #1290.

@jpivarski fixed a performance issue in Content.completely_flatten: PR #1245. Updated the Numba extension for v2: PR #1240. Added ak.from_arrow_schema function: PR #1294.