Implement diff for XTensorVariables

pytensor/xtensor/type.py

@@ -611,6 +611,15 @@ class XTensorVariable(Variable[_XTensorTypeType, OptionalApplyType]):
     def cumprod(self, dim=None):
         return px.reduction.cumprod(self, dim)
 
+    def diff(self, dim, n=1):
+        """Compute the n-th discrete difference along the given dimension."""
+        slice1 = {dim: slice(1, None)}
+        slice2 = {dim: slice(None, -1)}
+        x = self
+        for _ in range(n):
+            x = x[slice1] - x[slice2]
+        return x
+
     # Reshaping and reorganizing
     # https://docs.xarray.dev/en/latest/api.html#id8
     def transpose(

tests/xtensor/test_indexing.py

@@ -491,3 +491,22 @@ def test_indexing_renames_into_update_variable():
     expected_result = x_test.copy()
     expected_result[idx_test] = y_test
     xr_assert_allclose(result, expected_result)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("n", ["implicit", 1, 2])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("dim", ["a", "b"])
+def test_diff(dim, n):
+    x = xtensor(dims=("a", "b"), shape=(7, 11))
+    if n == "implicit":
+        out = x.diff(dim)
+    else:
+        out = x.diff(dim, n=n)
+
+    fn = xr_function([x], out)
+    x_test = xr_arange_like(x)
+    res = fn(x_test)
+    if n == "implicit":
+        expected_res = x_test.diff(dim)
+    else:
+        expected_res = x_test.diff(dim, n=n)
+    xr_assert_allclose(res, expected_res)