[R] display full form in args

[Dimitris Rizopoulos]

you are looking for the arguments of `merge.data.frame' and not 
`merge.default'. Maybe this function could be helpful:

show.args <- function(fun, method=c("default", "all")){
    old <- options(warn=(-1))
    on.exit(options(old))
    method <- match.arg(method)
    mfun <- methods(fun)
    if( method=="default" && length(ind <- grep(".default", mfun))>0 ) 
args(mfun[ind])
    else{ res <- lapply(mfun, args); names(res) <- as.character(mfun); 
res}
}
############
show.args(rep)
show.args(plot)
show.args(seq, "a")
show.args(merge, "a")


Best,
Dimitris

----
Dimitris Rizopoulos
Ph.D. Student
Biostatistical Centre
School of Public Health
Catholic University of Leuven

Address: Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, Belgium
Tel: +32/16/336899
Fax: +32/16/337015
Web: http://www.med.kuleuven.ac.be/biostat/
     http://www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~m0390867/dimitris.htm


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Adaikalavan Ramasamy" <ramasamy at cancer.org.uk>
To: "R-help" <r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 1:14 PM
Subject: [R] display full form in args


> Forgive me for I do not fully comprehend the idea of classes and 
> methods
> but I was wondering if someone could help explain why the function 
> args
> () behaves the way it does.
>
> Why does args(cut) show the simplified version instead of the more
> complete one as in help("cut"). This is true for few other functions
> (e.g. plot, rep).
>
> > args(cut)
> function (x, ...)
>
>
> Sometime I can get around this by using the "default" method as in
>
> > args(cut.default)
> function (x, breaks, labels = NULL, include.lowest = FALSE, right =
> TRUE, dig.lab = 3, ...)
>
>
> But sometimes I cannot use this workaround. e.g. args(merge.default)
> does not give the full form as in the help file.
>
>
> I find it almost always useful to see the full form. Is there a more
> reliable workaround or do I have to look up the help to be certain.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Regards, Adai
>
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