[R] Getting sink to work with "message" on R 2.11.0 - what didI miss?

Greg Snow Greg.Snow at imail.org
Tue May 25 21:23:39 CEST 2010 

OK, I have uploaded a few new functions to the TeachingDemos package on R-forge (it will be a while before the CRAN version is updated, but you can install directly from R-forge once the changes show up there).

The main functions to use (after loading TeachingDemos) are wdtxtStart and wdtxtStop (these depend on the R2wd package, so make sure that it is installed as well).

You just need to make sure that either you do not have any word documents open, or your currently open word document is blank or the one that you want your R transcript inserted into, then just issue the wdtxtStart() command. From that point on, all your commands and results from R will be inserted into the word document as you go, so you can switch to word any time and review the commands and results.  Just be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the document before going back to R as the new commands and output will be inserted wherever the cursor was when you went back to R (possibly in the middle of something else if you are not careful).

I hope this helps and let me know if you have any problems with it, or if there are additional bells and whistles that would improve the functions (I do have plans to eventually add some color coding, but doubt that that would be important for the use discussed in this thread).

-- 
Gregory (Greg) L. Snow Ph.D.
Statistical Data Center
Intermountain Healthcare
greg.snow at imail.org
801.408.8111


> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-
> project.org] On Behalf Of Faiz Rasool
> Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 2:39 AM
> To: R-help at r-project.org
> Subject: Re: [R] Getting sink to work with "message" on R 2.11.0 - what
> didI miss?
> 
> Thank you to all of those who are trying to help me.
> 
> I am using Windows XP, and using a screen reader called JAWS. When I
> type
> something at the console, I hear once what I have typed, and then the
> focus
> is on the next line. Then if I press the up arrow key I get to hear the
> function I just typed, not its output. For example if I type mean(x)
> and
> then I press enter I will hear "[5]" if it is the mean of x. Then I
> will
> hear ">". Now if I want to find out what was the mean of x by pressing
> the
> up arrow key, I will only hear mean(x) and I will not hear [5]. My
> screen
> reader does provide options to use different cursors to read command
> lines.
> but if I have typed median(x) sd(x) var(x) length(x) after typing
> mean(x),
> it takes a long time before I can move my cursor to the location where
> I can
> hear the mean of x. If the results of the commands can be diverted to
> MS
> Word it becomes comparatively easy for me to quickly move forward and
> backward in the document. Following suggestion of Gregory Snow, I will
> look
> at emacs. I could not find the txtStart function and TeachingDemos
> package
> after typing TxtStart() and library(TeachingDemos) I am unable to
> decide how
> to use the code provided by David Winsemius. Should I just copy that to
> console and it will start to divert the output to a txt or a .doc file?
> 
> Thank you once again to all of those who have participated in this
> thread.
> Faiz.
> 
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Winsemius" <dwinsemius at comcast.net>
> To: "Greg Snow" <Greg.Snow at imail.org>
> Cc: <r-help at r-project.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 2:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [R] Getting sink to work with "message" on R 2.11.0 - what
> didI
> miss?
> 
> 
> >
> > On May 21, 2010, at 5:34 PM, Greg Snow wrote:
> >
> >> Look at txtStart and friends in the TeachingDemos package as an
> >> alternative to sink that includes commands as well as output.
> >
> > Know the quality of Greg Snows work it will probably be better than
> mine,
> > but perhaps:
> >
> > > capfn <- function(inp) {
> > +          instring <- deparse(substitute(inp))
> > +          capture.output(instring, inp, file="all.Rout") }
> > > capfn(1+3)
> >
> > The file looks like this:
> >
> > [1] "1 + 3"
> > [1] 4
> >>
> >> --
> >> Gregory (Greg) L. Snow Ph.D.
> >> Statistical Data Center
> >> Intermountain Healthcare
> >> greg.snow at imail.org
> >> 801.408.8111
> >>
> >>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-
> >>> project.org] On Behalf Of Tal Galili
> >>> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 3:21 PM
> >>> To: David Winsemius
> >>> Cc: r-help at r-project.org
> >>> Subject: Re: [R] Getting sink to work with "message" on R 2.11.0 -
> what
> >>> did I miss?
> >>>
> >>> Hi David,
> >>>
> >>> I want to get both the 4 and the "1+3" that created it.
> >>>
> >>> I am trying to help someone else on the mailing list that is
> looking
> >>> for a
> >>> way to "sink" the console into word, so he could have word read it
> to
> >>> him
> >>> (he is blind).
> >>> I know how to do the second part, but the first part (using sink
> with
> >>> the
> >>> commands, and not just the output), I am somehow missing...
> >>>
> >>> Best,
> >>> Tal
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ----------------Contact
> >>> Details:-------------------------------------------------------
> >>> Contact me: Tal.Galili at gmail.com |  972-52-7275845
> >>> Read me: www.talgalili.com (Hebrew) | www.biostatistics.co.il
> (Hebrew)
> >>> |
> >>> www.r-statistics.com (English)
> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> >>> -----------------------
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 12:17 AM, David Winsemius
> >>> <dwinsemius at comcast.net>wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On May 21, 2010, at 5:02 PM, Tal Galili wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Hi all,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I am trying to use type message with sink, like this:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> sink("all.Rout", type="message")
> >>>>> 1+3
> >>>>>
> >>>>> sink()
> >>>>>
> >>>>> readLines(con = "all.Rout")
> >>>>>
> >>>>> So to get the following output:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 1+3
> >>>>>>
> >>>>> [1] 4
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Obviously this doesn't work.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>> What are you trying to do? The sink help page has two rather dire
> >>> warnings
> >>>> about not using type="message",  and using type="output would give
> >>> you what
> >>>> you ask:
> >>>>
> >>>>> sink("all.Rout", type="output")
> >>>>
> >>>>> 1+3
> >>>>>
> >>>>> sink()
> >>>>>
> >>>>> readLines(con = "all.Rout")
> >>>> [1] "[1] 4"
> >>>>
> >>>> The extra "[1]" and quotes are from the readLines function, not
> from
> >>>> all.Rout.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> I tried some variations (based on the explanations in the help)
> but
> >>> am
> >>>>> missing something on how to make it work.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Any suggestions?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> (p.s: I need this so to help Faiz Rasool in his latest post)
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Tal
> >>>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> David Winsemius, MD
> >>>> West Hartford, CT
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> >>>
> >>> ______________________________________________
> >>> 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.
> >
> > David Winsemius, MD
> > West Hartford, CT
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > 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.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Winsemius" <dwinsemius at comcast.net>
> To: "Greg Snow" <Greg.Snow at imail.org>
> Cc: <r-help at r-project.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 2:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [R] Getting sink to work with "message" on R 2.11.0 - what
> didI
> miss?
> 
> 
> >
> > On May 21, 2010, at 5:34 PM, Greg Snow wrote:
> >
> >> Look at txtStart and friends in the TeachingDemos package as an
> >> alternative to sink that includes commands as well as output.
> >
> > Know the quality of Greg Snows work it will probably be better than
> mine,
> > but perhaps:
> >
> > > capfn <- function(inp) {
> > +          instring <- deparse(substitute(inp))
> > +          capture.output(instring, inp, file="all.Rout") }
> > > capfn(1+3)
> >
> > The file looks like this:
> >
> > [1] "1 + 3"
> > [1] 4
> >>
> >> --
> >> Gregory (Greg) L. Snow Ph.D.
> >> Statistical Data Center
> >> Intermountain Healthcare
> >> greg.snow at imail.org
> >> 801.408.8111
> >>
> >>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-
> >>> project.org] On Behalf Of Tal Galili
> >>> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 3:21 PM
> >>> To: David Winsemius
> >>> Cc: r-help at r-project.org
> >>> Subject: Re: [R] Getting sink to work with "message" on R 2.11.0 -
> what
> >>> did I miss?
> >>>
> >>> Hi David,
> >>>
> >>> I want to get both the 4 and the "1+3" that created it.
> >>>
> >>> I am trying to help someone else on the mailing list that is
> looking
> >>> for a
> >>> way to "sink" the console into word, so he could have word read it
> to
> >>> him
> >>> (he is blind).
> >>> I know how to do the second part, but the first part (using sink
> with
> >>> the
> >>> commands, and not just the output), I am somehow missing...
> >>>
> >>> Best,
> >>> Tal
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ----------------Contact
> >>> Details:-------------------------------------------------------
> >>> Contact me: Tal.Galili at gmail.com |  972-52-7275845
> >>> Read me: www.talgalili.com (Hebrew) | www.biostatistics.co.il
> (Hebrew)
> >>> |
> >>> www.r-statistics.com (English)
> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> >>> -----------------------
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 12:17 AM, David Winsemius
> >>> <dwinsemius at comcast.net>wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On May 21, 2010, at 5:02 PM, Tal Galili wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Hi all,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I am trying to use type message with sink, like this:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> sink("all.Rout", type="message")
> >>>>> 1+3
> >>>>>
> >>>>> sink()
> >>>>>
> >>>>> readLines(con = "all.Rout")
> >>>>>
> >>>>> So to get the following output:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 1+3
> >>>>>>
> >>>>> [1] 4
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Obviously this doesn't work.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>> What are you trying to do? The sink help page has two rather dire
> >>> warnings
> >>>> about not using type="message",  and using type="output would give
> >>> you what
> >>>> you ask:
> >>>>
> >>>>> sink("all.Rout", type="output")
> >>>>
> >>>>> 1+3
> >>>>>
> >>>>> sink()
> >>>>>
> >>>>> readLines(con = "all.Rout")
> >>>> [1] "[1] 4"
> >>>>
> >>>> The extra "[1]" and quotes are from the readLines function, not
> from
> >>>> all.Rout.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> I tried some variations (based on the explanations in the help)
> but
> >>> am
> >>>>> missing something on how to make it work.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Any suggestions?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> (p.s: I need this so to help Faiz Rasool in his latest post)
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Tal
> >>>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> David Winsemius, MD
> >>>> West Hartford, CT
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> >>>
> >>> ______________________________________________
> >>> 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.
> >
> > David Winsemius, MD
> > West Hartford, CT
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > 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.

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