[ESS-bugs] ess-mode 12.09-1 [<unknown>]; no help for merge after loading data.table

Martin Maechler maechler at stat.math.ethz.ch
Tue Nov 27 18:29:50 CET 2012 

On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 12:10 AM, Sam Steingold <sds at gnu.org> wrote:
>
>
> after I load data.table, I no longer get help for merge.


> when I do either "?merge" in *R* or C-c C-v merge RET, I get a gtk
> window asking me to select between base and data.table for merge and no
> matter what I select, I get a *help[R]* buffer with
>
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> Help on topic 'merge' was found in the following packages:
>
>   Package               Library
>   data.table            /home/sds/R/x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-library/2.15
>   base                  /usr/lib/R/library
>
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>
> but no actual help anywhere.

Hmm, we usually do get  tcl/tk  window  asking the same question,
and then clicking into that window to choose one of the two options,
and then things work (and the help buffer shows in Emacs as it
should).
... apart from I think on Windows  where it can happen / did happen in the past
 that emacs/ess completely freezes up... I have forgotten what is the
latest version / bug report on that...

Yes, we ESS developers know:  Ideally Emacs should ask the user to
choose the help page in this case,
rather than R via some GUI....  but we have never cared enough till
know  to investigate and solve the problem "all within ESS".
The plan *is* to do that once ESS comes with it's own "built in" R package...

At the moment, we should *really* get ready for releasing 12.09-1.

Two remaining issues
 -  the manual mess {see the table in the new *.org file}
 -  knitr support (inspite of it's "failure" to accept encoding).

>
>
> (ess-help '*help[R](format)*' done  ..
>  |--> nil [searching t]
> ess-BEG-of-fun after 'search-FWD (': Ini-pt 10457, (p)-Ini-pt = 7
> ELSE  not in setMethod() header ...
>         Match,Pt:(10370,10406),10370
> ess-END-of-fun: S4=nil, beginning = 10370
> ess-END-of-fun: found #1 : 10503
> ess-BEG-of-fun after 'search-FWD (': Ini-pt 10285, (p)-Ini-pt = 10
> ELSE  not in setMethod() header ...
>         Match,Pt:(10111,10141),10111
> ess-END-of-fun: S4=nil, beginning = 10111
> ess-END-of-fun: found #1 : 10369
> ess-BEG-of-fun after 'search-FWD (': Ini-pt 10457, (p)-Ini-pt = 7
> ELSE  not in setMethod() header ...
>         Match,Pt:(10370,10406),10370
> ess-END-of-fun: S4=nil, beginning = 10370
> ess-END-of-fun: found #1 : 10503
> ess-BEG-of-fun after 'search-FWD (': Ini-pt 10306, (p)-Ini-pt = 7
> ELSE  not in setMethod() header ...
>         Match,Pt:(10111,10141),10111
> ess-END-of-fun: S4=nil, beginning = 10111
> ess-END-of-fun: found #1 : 10369
> ess-BEG-of-fun after 'search-FWD (': Ini-pt 10459, (p)-Ini-pt = 7
> ELSE  not in setMethod() header ...
>         Match,Pt:(10370,10406),10370
> ess-END-of-fun: S4=nil, beginning = 10370
> ess-END-of-fun: found #1 : 10505
> ess-request-a-process: {beginning}
>  ... request-a-process:
>   major mode ess-mode; current buff: share-click.R; ess-language: S,
> ess-dialect: R
>  ..start-process-specific: lang:dialect= S:R, current-buf=share-click.R
>
> (R): ess-dialect=R, buf=share-click.R, start-arg=nil
>  current-prefix-arg=nil
> (inferior-ess 0): ess-start-args=--no-readline --no-save
> (inf-ess 1): lang=S, dialect=R, tmp-dialect=R, buf=share-click.R
> (inf-ess 1.1): procname=R temp-dialect=R, buf-name=*R*
> (inferior-ess) Method #3 start=/home/sds/R/ buf=*R*
> (ess-setq-vars-LOCAL): language=S, dialect=R, buf=nil, comint..echoes=t,
> comint..sender=comint-simple-send
> (inf-ess 2.1): ess-language=S, ess-dialect=R buf=*R*
> (inf-ess 2.2): start args = --no-readline --no-save ,
> inf-ess-start-args=--no-readline --no-save
> (inf-ess finish [S(R), R(nil)]
> (ess-multi 0):  inf-ess-start-args=--no-readline --no-save ,
> comint-..echoes=t
> (ess-setq-vars-LOCAL): language=S, dialect=R, buf=nil, comint..echoes=t,
> comint..sender=inferior-ess-input-sender
> (i-ess 1): buf=*R*, lang=S, comint..echo=nil,
> comint..sender=inferior-ess-input-sender,
> (i-ess end): buf=*R*, lang=S, comint..echo=nil,
> comint..sender=inferior-ess-input-sender,
> (ess-multi post inf-ess: start-args=--no-readline --no-save ,
> comint-echoes=nil
> (ess-multi 1):  start-args=--no-readline --no-save
> Making Process...Buf *R*, :Proc R, :Prog R
>  :Args= --no-readline --no-save
> Start File=nil
> (ess-multi 2): waiting for process to start (before hook)
> (ess-multi 3): waiting for process after hook(R):
> inferior-ess-language-start=options(STERM='iESS', str.dendrogram.last="'",
> editor='emacsclient', show.error.locations=TRUE)
> (R): version (2.15.2)
> resetting completion to 'ess-R-complete-object-name  ...
> request-a-process: buf=share-click.R
> (ess-get-help-topics-list R) ..(get-object-list R) ..-->
> (ess-get-modtime-list)
>  (ess-search-list ... ) after 'search()
> ', point-max=273
> (ess-object-names obj=.GlobalEnv): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=.GlobalEnv): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:data.table): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:data.table): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:igraph): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:igraph): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:stats): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:stats): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:graphics): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:graphics): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:grDevices): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:grDevices): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:utils): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:utils): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:datasets): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:datasets): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:compiler): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:compiler): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:methods): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:methods): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=Autoloads): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=Autoloads): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-object-names obj=package:base): no directory - trying names
> (ess-object-names obj=package:base): no dir.; -> objects()
> (ess-get-modtime-list): created new alist of length 12
>  (length alist) : 12
>  have re-read pos=1: -> length 0
>  (ess-search-list ... ) after 'search()
> ', point-max=273
> (ess-help '*help[R](merge)*' start  ..
> (ess-setq-vars-LOCAL): language=S, dialect=R, buf=nil, comint..echoes=t,
> comint..sender=comint-simple-send
> (ess-help '*help[R](merge)*' done  ..
>  |--> nil [searching t]
> (ess-setq-vars-LOCAL): language=S, dialect=R, buf=nil, comint..echoes=t,
> comint..sender=comint-simple-send
>  |--> 72 [searching t]
> (ess-help: kill bogus buffer *ess-help[R](?'base::merge')* ..
> (ess-setq-vars-LOCAL): language=S, dialect=R, buf=nil, comint..echoes=t,
> comint..sender=comint-simple-send
>  |--> 72 [searching t]
> (ess-help: kill bogus buffer *ess-help[R](?'base::merge')* ..
> (ess-setq-vars-LOCAL): language=S, dialect=R, buf=nil, comint..echoes=t,
> comint..sender=comint-simple-send
>  |--> nil [searching t]
> (ess-version-string): buffer=SVN-REVISION
>
>
>
> Emacs  : GNU Emacs 24.3.50.5 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
> 3.4.2)
>  of 2012-11-19 on t520sds
> Package: ess-mode 12.09-1 [<unknown>]
>
> current state:
> ==============
> (setq
>  ess-language "S"
>  ess-dialect "R"
>  ess-ask-for-ess-directory nil
>  ess-ask-about-transfile nil
>  ess-directory nil
>  ess-keep-dump-files "always"
>  ess-source-directory "/var/tmp"
>  ess-use-ido t
>  ess-use-eldoc t
>  ess-use-tracebug t
>  ess-use-auto-complete t
>  ess-eval-visibly-p 'nowait
>  ess-can-eval-in-background nil
>  ess-local-process-name "R"
>  )
> --
> Sam Steingold (http://sds.podval.org/) on Ubuntu 12.04 (precise) X
> 11.0.11103000
> http://www.childpsy.net/ http://americancensorship.org
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> Your mouse pad is incompatible with MS Windows - your HD will be
> reformatted.
>
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