R-beta: command-line editing not working in Debian Linux version

[Jameson Burt]

I get great flexibility with command-line editing through the "readline" 
library in the "bash" editor and the "ncftp" tool.  S-Plus has this editing 
and I see in the preliminary "Notes on R: A Programming Environment for Data 
Analysis and Graphics", page 65, that "R -e" might give this functionality.  
Typically, one can use either vi or emacs commands to go back through previous 
commands and edit the current command line.

I notice that the readline library is not compiled into the Debian Linux 
R.binary (ldd R.binary).  Perhaps this was an oversight, or perhaps 
command-line editing has yet to be added.

I notice that for vi editing style one ought to set (in "bash" shell)
     export S_CLEDITOR=vi
however, hopefully, the readline [not the S/R readline() function, but the 
readline library] file ~/.inputrc parameters would work to set "vi" mode and 
other readline parameters (if the readline library gives this command line 
functionality in R, that is).
	
	

-- 
Jim Burt, NJ9L,		Fairfax, Virginia, USA
jameson at mnsinc.com	http://www.mnsinc.com/jameson
jameson at pressroom.com

"It is not the shortcomings of others, nor what others have done or not
 done that one should think about, but what one has done or not done oneself."
--Dhammapada   ["dp" command for quotes from the Dhammapada, in Linux]


-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
r-help mailing list -- Read http://www.ci.tuwien.ac.at/~hornik/R/R-FAQ.html
Send "info", "help", or "[un]subscribe"
(in the "body", not the subject !)  To: r-help-request at stat.math.ethz.ch
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._