[R] ISO R-programming docs/refs

[Petr Pikal]

   Hi

   I do not make "programs" in R to be available for others to use. But I
   **do**  analyse data and make some conclusions from such analysis. And
   if  I  have  to analyse the same data every (day, week, month, year) I
   prepare  a "program" (function or several functions) to be able in few
   strokes or in batch mode to do my whole analysis repeatedly.

   I find documentation provided and suggested quite satisfactory and, if
   I am lost, I always can ask this list.

   So if you want to do programs for others I do not have opinion and you
   need not read the rest of this.

   But if the second aspect is what you want, (you have data and you want
   to do an analysis) I am pretty sure that you just missed the basics of
   data manipulation in R.

   I learned BASIC (quite long ago), used punched paper tapes for storing
   data  and did some programming in various languages (although I am not
   a  programmer)  and the main difference I perceive is extensive use of
   operations  on  whole  objects  in  R. Forget to do for-next cycle for
   simple filling some data vector or matrix (at least most of the time).

   read  data  ->  modify,  subset  them  -> issue a build in or prepared
   function  and  store results in some object -> use another function on
   this  object  to  find out some other features of the object or simply
   make some plotting....etc.

   So  you  need  to  learn  the  language  and  bear  in  mind that many
   statistical  analysis is pre-programmed in it and its packages. But it
   of course depends on if you really want to learn it or not.

   If you don't nobody can help you.

   I found particularly useful:

   zoonek2.free.fr/UNIX/48_R/02.html

   www.ku.edu/~pauljohn/R/Rtips.html

   www.psych.upenn.edu/~baron/refcard.pdf

   Using R for Data Analysis and Graphics

   Introduction, Code and Commentary

   J H Maindonald

   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/R/sk/books_usingr.htm

   And of course many other specific documentation, mentioned in CRAN.

   Best regards

   Petr

   On 17 Oct 2005 at 7:36, kynn at panix.com wrote:

   Date sent:                Mon, 17 Oct 2005 07:36:48 -0400 (EDT)

   From:                       <kynn at panix.com>

   To:                           r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch

   Subject:                    [R] ISO R-programming docs/refs

   >

   >

   >

   >

   > In my job I write custom computer programs for data analysis, which

   > are used in our company's consulting business.  Whenever I've needed

   > statistical analyses I've coded the algorithms myself, but my boss

   > wants me to start learning and using R, to speed up development.

   >

   > I am very reluctuant to do this because I can't find adequate

   > *programming* documentation for R (though I can find a lot of

   >   inadequate   documentation).    As  far  as  I  can  tell,  the  R
   documentation

   > may be adequate for end-users who don't plan to do much programming

   >  (if  any  at  all),  but  it  is  completely  unacceptable from the
   standpoint

   > of programming.

   >

   > In a couple of simple exploratory projects I have been reduced to

   >  programming  by  *trial  and  error*.   For example, I just spent a
   couple

   >  of  fruitless  hours  trying to find information on how to modify a
   list

   > (all my ***guesses*** have failed; they either produce results

   > different from what I want, or generate errors such as "replacing

   >  element  in  non-existent column").  How much fundamental basic can
   one

   > get in the documentation of a programming language than this sort of

   > information?[1]  This is just one of many examples.  My R code is

   > filled with crude hacks that I don't understand, and that I stumbled

   > upon in blind scrambles to get my code to work.  How can I possible

   >  stand  by  the  results  of my R scripts if they are the product of
   sheer

   > guesswork?

   >

   >  I  even  bought  the  R Reference Manual, vols. 1 and 2, and deeply
   regret

   >  it,  since  they  are  nothing  other than a hardcopy of the online
   manual

   >  pages[1].   This is no substitute for a reference of the R language
   and

   > how to program it.

   >

   > Is my impression correct that R is simply not well-documented enough

   >  for  serious  programming?   Have  I  missed  a  key  reference  to
   programming

   >  R?   To  those  of you who do a lot of programming in R (other than
   those

   >  who  are  members  of  the  R  Development  team,  of course): what
   references

   >  do  you  consult on questions about the programming language itself
   (as

   > opposed to this or that library function)?

   >

   > Thanks!

   >

   > kj

   >

   > [1] A massive tome that I have called S-Plus 2000 Programmer's guide

   >  has  *nothing*  on the subject.  Unbelievable!  900 pages and not a
   word

   > on how one modifies a basic data type.

   >

   > [2] This, BTW, was a *big* waste of money.  I'm all for supporting

   > open source development, and often buy hardcopy manuals of free

   > software precisely for this reason, but for what I got in return for

   > my 100 USD, I'd been far better off sending directly to the R

   > Foundation the pittance that the publishers of the manual pass on to

   > it.

   >

   > P.S. I'm aware of Introduction to R; this is OK as a tutorial,

   > particularly for end users, but by itself utterly inadequate as a

   > reference to the R language.

   >

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   Petr Pikal

   petr.pikal at precheza.cz