[R] debugging functions in R

[Spencer Graves]

       See also the debug function, which allows you to walk through a 
function line by line.


       I also concur with Duncan's recommendation to try the R package 
system.  I'm an author of one of two contributed documents available 
from CRAN -> Documentation:  Contributed -> "Creating R Packages".  When 
I started writing R packages, I felt it tripled my software development 
productivity overnight by making it easier to find bugs and keep track 
of what I had done -- not to mention making it much easier to share my 
work with others.


       Hope this helps.
       Spencer


On 8/25/2011 11:23 AM, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
> On 11-08-24 10:20 AM, Eran Eidinger wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I am not sure if this is the right list to ask this question (though
>> I did
>> not find a more appropriate one).
>> I've started using R a month ago, and small scripts work fine.
>> However, when
>> I start writing more complex code, it gets messy.
>>
>> 1. Is there any way to debug "normally", with breakpoints?
>
> The trace() function does that.  setBreakpoint() is a front end for
> it.  One current limitation is that it only allows one breakpoint per
> function; that may change soon.
>
>> 2. I am using the Eclipse plugin (StatET), and tried JGR(). Is there
>> an IDE
>> that enables breakpoints?
>> 3. Is there an equivalent to "include" in other programming
>> languages? So
>> many functions in one file are very messy. I would like to break it to
>> several files.
>
> Write a package.  It is much easier than it looks at first.  Start
> with package.skeleton, and follow the instructions from there.
>
>> 4. Any way to create a "local" context of variables inside a function?
>> Otherwise I have to be careful to give different names inside
>> functions, to
>> those in the workspace.
>
> Functions always have a local context for writing.  There's no simple
> way to create a local context for reading.
>
> Duncan Murdoch
>
>>
>> I should point that I am a long time Matlab user and am probably
>> expecting
>> some things that don't necessarily exist in R...
>>
>> I know it's a lot, if there is a more appropriate forum to ask these,
>> please
>> point me in that direction.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Eran.
>>
>> *
>>
>> *
>>
>>     [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>>
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>
> ______________________________________________
> 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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