[R] plot layout with several plots ON plot area of previous plot

[Greg Snow]

Some of the functions that were the first in the TeachingDemos package were originally written to help me visualize something, so it is not just teachers demoing, but people demoing to themselves.  It has become a bit of a misc package with several utilities that are useful in themselves, but while I have considered splitting the package, I don't see an obvious splitting (and what would I call the new part?, naming things is not my strongest talent, just look at some of the functions in TeachingDemos, luckily for my kids my wife invoked veto power there).

If someone wanted to include the function in one of the core packages then I would be happy to donate it, though generally that means one of the core members taking over maintenance and they may not want to do that (and I am happy to keep doing so).  One of my small claims to fame is that there have been 3 instances of code in the TeachingDemos package that apparently had the right combination of potential usefulness and ugly code or implementation that inspired Brian Ripley to write new functions in the core packages to do the same thing (only better).  The subplot function has not been one of those, so I am guessing that Prof. Ripley (or other core members) either has not become aware of it, does not think it useful enough, or does not consider it ugly enough to ne rewriting (I am hoping it's the last).

Personally I think the TeachingDemos package is useful and everyone should use it (but I may be a bit biased).  I sometimes fantasize about it becoming one of the official recommended packages (but the realistic part of me admits that this is only slightly more likely to happen than the fantasy about developing super powers or having the entire house stay clean for a whole day with 4 kids at home).

Luckily Jim (and others) is good at pointing people to TeachingDemos when it is appropriate.  I try to point people to Jim's package as well, but he is usually a bit faster about it.


-- 
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 Jim Lemon
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 5:10 AM
> To: Rainer M Krug
> Cc: R-help
> Subject: Re: [R] plot layout with several plots ON plot area of
> previous plot
> 
> On 04/07/2011 08:03 PM, Rainer M Krug wrote:
> > ...
> > Exactly - why is such a gem of a function hiding in a package with
> Demos
> > in the name? I would never have thought about that.
> >
> Maybe Greg thought it was a package for the people.
> 
> Jim
> 
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