[R] latex{Hmisc} cannot find xdvi on MAC OS X

[Frank E Harrell Jr]

Gabor Grothendieck wrote:
> It eliminates Hmisc and R by giving you a tex file.  Now its up
> to you to figure out how to handle tex files on your system.

That's true but quick previewing of the LaTeX result is useful.  I 
frequently type latex(describe(mydataframe)) for example.  Everything is 
pre-installed on Linux and easy to install on Windows/Mac.  We just need 
to get to the bottom of why xdvi is not found even though "which xdvi" 
proves that it's there. [Note - on Windows you specify options( ) to 
give the name of another previewer command.].

Frank

> 
> On Jan 23, 2008 12:20 PM, Frank E Harrell Jr <f.harrell at vanderbilt.edu> wrote:
>> Gabor Grothendieck wrote:
>>> I don't use Mac but a workaround to this type of
>>> problem was discussed just recently here:
>>>
>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/pipermail/r-help/2008-January/151524.html
>> I don't think that addresses the problem.  If xdvi is truly in the
>> system path then the problem is very strange.
>>
>> Frank
>>
>>
>>> On Jan 23, 2008 9:22 AM, Kevin E. Thorpe <kevin.thorpe at utoronto.ca> wrote:
>>>> Hello.
>>>>
>>>> I am posting this on behalf of a student in my class.  I have been
>>>> introducing them to R.
>>>>
>>>> I suspect that the problem I need help with is not so much an R
>>>> issue, but a MAC config issue, but I don't have enough MAC
>>>> experience to know what to do.
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, on to the problem.  We are using Frank Harrell's Hmisc
>>>> and Design packages.  This student also wishes to use the latex
>>>> formatting facilities provided in those packages so she has installed
>>>> LaTeX.
>>>>
>>>> When she does something like latex(describe(dataframe)), the latex
>>>> file is produced, the dvi file is successfully written but then
>>>> the error "sh: line 1: xdvi: command not found" appears.
>>>>
>>>> I started a terminal and a "which xdvi" returned the path
>>>> where it found xdvi.  So, it appears that xdvi is in the
>>>> PATH.
>>>>
>>>> My apologies, I forgot to get her sessionInfo() but I think
>>>> she is running R 2.6.?
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Kevin E. Thorpe
>>>> Biostatistician/Trialist, Knowledge Translation Program
>>>> Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
>>>> Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
>>>> email: kevin.thorpe at utoronto.ca  Tel: 416.864.5776  Fax: 416.864.6057
>>>>
>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>>>>
>>> ______________________________________________
>>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Frank E Harrell Jr   Professor and Chair           School of Medicine
>>                      Department of Biostatistics   Vanderbilt University
>>
> 


-- 
Frank E Harrell Jr   Professor and Chair           School of Medicine
                      Department of Biostatistics   Vanderbilt University