[R] R package: Where to put code to Run Once Only?

[Rolf Turner]

On 7/04/2009, at 3:34 PM, Ken-JP wrote:

	<snip>

> Using NAMESPACE, I was able to hide my globals behind a  
> "." (eg .myGlobal
> <<- 72) and use exportPattern("^[^\\.]*") to prevent users from  
> seeing my
> globals, yet I was able to access their values inside my package.

	<snip>

	WHY do you want to ``prevent users from seeing [your] globals''?

	The whole point of R (well, maybe not the whole point, but a major
	point) is to be adaptable.  If something doesn't work the way a user
	wants, then the user can change things.  When the inner workings
	are hidden so deeply that the user can't see what to change, this
	becomes effectively impossible, and the user might as well go and
	use SAS.

	I exaggerate but slightly.

	Nevertheless, this syndrome of hiding things and making them  
effectively
	inaccessible --- which seems to have become an obsession with some  
of the
	R community, particularly many of the senior members --- bugs the  
living
	Drambuie out of me.

		cheers,

			Rolf Turner

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