[R] Can I set the proxy server and authentification from within R?

[Prof Brian Ripley]

On Thu, 9 Nov 2006, Werner Wernersen wrote:

> I am using Tinn-R and somehow I cannot point it to
> start a R shortcut with http_proxy settings including
> authentification. It always shows the .exe.
>
> Is there any way to set the proxy from within R or any
> other ideas how to do it?

>From the help file (?download.file)

      These environment variables must be set before the download code
      is first used: they cannot be altered later by calling
      'Sys.putenv'.

so you can for example use .Renviron or .Rprofile to set them (see 
?Startup).

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595