C-c C-v for to lookup R help for the function call you're currently writing.
Automatic display of function argument lists in the modeline.

Use "ess-watch" C-c C-t C-w while debugging to see variables change at each
step, or even just at the prompt

Also the ability to mix in other, general purpose Emacs tools:

paredit-mode to give me good shortcuts to navigate around and manipulate
parentheses and braces,
git-gutter-mode to keep tabs on lines I've changed in a file.
M-/ to complete long words the second type I type them.


On Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 8:22 PM, Paul Johnson <pauljohn32@gmail.com> wrote:

> Raise that general Emacs debate on your own thread.
>
> I'm just asking everybody to name a favorite ESS feature so I can best
> understand how you are using it.
>
> The way I typically use Emacs/ESS--edit code, send into *R* to test line by
> line, is not different from the way people use Notepad++. Thus I want to
> know what handy ESS tools you all know so that I can figure out if they are
> good selling points.
>
> So far these are the front runners.
>
> 1. INDENTATION.
> 2. Interaction with R help documents. Currently, "l", future polymode
> tools.
> 3. Navigation & execution of code, follow to *R* buffer
> 4. In-session function editing. C-c C-e d and C-c C-e C-d can open file
> versions of R functions. C-c C-e l sends same back.
>
> I'm struggling to understand other features people have pointed me to. I'm
> not arguing, but I can't understand what they are for, compared to the
> ordinary way I do things. For example,
>
> 1. I don't see what developer model helps, when I already know how to use
> assignInNamespace() in R when I've written new functions to test.
>
> 2. I don't know how the debugging features helps. Before that, I would just
> run R debug() or place browser() via C-c C-e d and then step through. That
> was always good enough, maybe I did not have any really severe debugging
> problems.
>
> But I am trying hard to understand how those features are supposed to work.
> Its clear in this list some of you do use/understand them, I just don't
> understand how you benefit.
>
> pj
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 9:32 AM, Kasper Daniel Hansen <
> kasperdanielhansen@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Frankly, there are other good competitors to Emacs, and you might as well
> > admit this.  Some of the best/most productive R coders I know are not
> using
> > Emacs, and some are.
> >
> > Most of my reasons for Emacs are similar to "ottorinino's" comment on
> Emacs
> > in other enivonments.  Even then, very good people chose to use a
> > language/task specific IDE, instead of a single Swiss army knife.
> >
> > Here are my reasons, for general Emacs usage
> >   - same editor on all major platforms, so I don't have to relearn
> anything
> > if I switch platform.  This is a major, major, major feature.
> >   - works great over ssh to a unix server.  When this is coupled with
> > screen in a remote session, it becomes extremely nice for interactive use
> > on a big remote computer node.  Since this is how I do 90% of my serious
> > computing, this is extremely important to me.
> >   - support across any language you can think of, and very good support
> for
> > Rnw files (for a long time there was no serious competitor for vignette
> > writing, but now I get the impression that Rstudio is pretty nice for
> > markdown + R, but I have not tried it).
> >   - in other types of editing, rectangular cut and paste is a serious
> > winner
> >   - I really like AUCtex, but I don't need the visual representation of
> > latex code.
> >
> > For ESS specific things
> >   - Emacs keystrokes overall in the R buffer. This is mostly an advantage
> > because I am used to it.
> >   - I really like the integration of the help system, although I am
> > beginning to get really frustrated with help items that are specified in
> > two places (this is a serious wishlist for me).  This is an issue for
> > Bioconductor usage because the core Bioc package makes S4 methods out of
> > many basic functions in R, and then you have to (because of R CMD check)
> > have two help pages - one for the S4 method (which is usually what I
> want)
> > and one for the basic R function (typically in base).  This is really
> > starting to be a problem. Try looking at the IRanges package and see what
> > it masks from basic R (and for people unfamiliar with Bioc I will
> publicly
> > state (again) that IRanges / GenomicRanges are such a power tool for
> > Genomics that just getting access to this functionality is a powerful
> > argument for leaning R!  That is how awesome they are)
> >   - very easy way of sending code from an R buffer to the R session, but
> > other programs have this as well.
> >
> > There are other things I enjoy every day with ESS+Emacs, and I do think
> it
> > is an extremely powerful combination, but (luckily for everyone) there is
> > good competition out there, and (in my opinion) you should be fair about
> > that. Considering the learning curve of Emacs, there is no point in
> forcing
> > people to use it.
> >
> > Best,
> > Kasper
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 9:11 AM, ottorino <ottorino-luca.pantani@unifi.it
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all,
> > > may be I do not understand completely or entirely the meaning of this
> > > thread, and I ignore completely what notepad++ is able to do.
> > >
> > > So please excuse me if I'm writing the trivial and I'm off thread.
> > >
> > > I would mention the ease of using Emacs in other environments. Latex is
> > > the first coming to my mind.
> > >
> > > Another thing worth the effort is rectangle copy/kill paste
> > > (C-x r k, and C-x r y)
> > >
> > > As for ESS
> > > I like C-c C-c to run only a paragraph, providing you have blank lines
> > > before and after a piece of code, i.e. the very same command you use in
> > > auctex to compile the latex source.
> > >
> > > C-k C-y at the beginning of the line, (copy paste line)
> > >
> > > The very same command you use in auctex to compile the latex source,
> > > BTW.
> > >
> > > I agree on the "l" and on ediff. Can't work without them.
> > >
> > > I would add C-s and C-r to search in the help buffer and M-\ to indent
> > > the code.
> > >
> > > and well .... customization, ça va sans dire ...
> > >
> > > http://www.emacswiki.org/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Il giorno lun, 01/07/2013 alle 11.09 -0500, Paul Johnson ha scritto:
> > > > Here's how you can help me today. Add an item on my list below.
> > > >
> > > > I'm in a hostile audience of Windows programmers who cling to
> > > > Notepad++/NPPTOR.  For my lecture "Emacs has no learning curve" (
> > > > http://pj.freefaculty.org/guides/Rcourse/emacs-ess/emacs-ess.pdf) I
> > > want to
> > > > update with some explicit examples of things I can do with Emacs/ESS
> > that
> > > > they can't do with Notepad++.
> > > >
> > > > So please add on to this list.
> > > >
> > > > "Emacs can do this, Notepad++ cannot."
> > > >
> > > > 1. Run R help page examples by hitting the letter "l".  Open the help
> > > pages
> > > > in Emacs, NOT in the web browser. Scroll to the example, and run line
> > by
> > > > line by striking the "l" key.
> > > >
> > > > No matter how basic, please contribute. There are many things about
> > Emacs
> > > > with ESS that experts use that the rest of us never realize.
> > > >
> > > > My second favorite is "C-x C-e d" to edit the code of a loaded
> > function.
> > > > But I know many of you are uncomfortable with that one, so I won't
> push
> > > > it..
> > > >
> > >
> > > ______________________________________________
> > > ESS-help@r-project.org mailing list
> > > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/ess-help
> > >
> >
> >         [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > ESS-help@r-project.org mailing list
> > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/ess-help
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Paul E. Johnson
> Professor, Political Science      Assoc. Director
> 1541 Lilac Lane, Room 504      Center for Research Methods
> University of Kansas                 University of Kansas
> http://pj.freefaculty.org               http://quant.ku.edu
>
>         [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
>
> ______________________________________________
> ESS-help@r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/ess-help
>
>

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