Thanks to all for your input and thorough explanations.  I will follow up
on your suggestions and see where that takes me.

Regards,

Sherri

On Mon, Mar 11, 2013 at 2:02 AM, Bert Gunter <gunter.berton@gene.com> wrote:

> Jim:
>
> Whoaaa...  this is only true for base graphics!
>
> For grid graphics -- on which both lattice and ggplot are built --
> there is a defined object structure for graphics complete with
> extensive editing capabilities. See, e.g. ?grid.edit in the grid
> package.
>
> Both lattice and ggplot can and do take advantage of grid grobs -
> graphical objects, e.g. via updating and layering. Whether this is
> more or less convenient than editing graphics code is another issue,
> but the answer to the query is certainly "yes."
>
> I admit, however, that the modified displayed object must be redrawn
> -- you do not work directly and interactively with the display. But
> in many ways grid's programmatic editing and redisplay of modified
> grobs is more flexible and powerful, I would say. In any case, the
> editing capabilities  exist.
>
> -- Bert
>
> On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 3:47 PM, Jim Lemon <jim@bitwrit.com.au> wrote:
> > On 03/11/2013 02:19 AM, Sherri Heck wrote:
> >>
> >> Dear all,
> >>
> >> I am curious if anyone knows of a command/program that would enable one
> to
> >> edit a figure in R once it is created (akin to Matlab).  Currently, if I
> >> need to make any changes to the figure I do so and then have to run the
> >> plotting portion of the code again.  I have searched the R site mailing
> >> lists, etc to no avail.  Any help is greatly appreciated.
> >>
> > Hi Sherri,
> > As Jeff has pointed out, graphics devices in R are almost entirely
> > cumulative in operation. You can display something, then add something
> else,
> > but you don't have a buffer for the various objects in a complex plot
> that
> > allows those objects to be altered or deleted.
> >
> > The playwith package would probably allow you to do what you want, but
> there
> > is a certain amount of learning necessary and you have to navigate the
> > complexity that is hidden in most interactive plotting packages. That
> said,
> > if you have to do a lot of this, it is worth the effort.
> >
> > What most of us do is to build plots up as scripts in an external editor
> and
> > then "source" the scripts. You can make incremental changes and the new
> plot
> > just pops up when you source the code.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > R-help@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.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Bert Gunter
> Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
>
> Internal Contact Info:
> Phone: 467-7374
> Website:
>
> http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm
>

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