To close the thread, I wanted to post my solution to this issue.

Searching some other help threads, I found this:

https://stat.ethz.ch/pipermail/r-help/2008-August/171321.html

So, here's what I did:

I got at the script for lmerFrames by doing this:

edit(lme4:::lmerFrames)

then edited the code to allow zero weights, and assigned it to a new
function:

my.lmerFrames<-function (...}

and then did this:

library(R.utils)

reassignInPackage("lmerFrames", pkgName="lme4", my.lmerFrames)


Voila, things execute, no error.



Note also that R.utils requires some additional packages (R.oo, R.methodsS3
before you can use it.


On Fri, Aug 2, 2013 at 12:03 AM, Mike Rennie <mikerennie.r@gmail.com> wrote:

> Indeed- thanks for the tips to get me going. This just kicks things up a
> notch for me, having happily used packages without wanting to tinker with
> them till now.
>
> Cheers.
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 11:57 PM, Bert Gunter <gunter.berton@gene.com>wrote:
>
>> 1. ?"::"
>>
>> 2. ?getAnywhere
>>
>> 3. Please consult the "R language definition" manual -- or even "An
>> Introduction to R" -- to learn about R programming. It **is** a
>> programming language, you know!
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Bert
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 8:54 PM, Mike Rennie <mikerennie.r@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > Hi folks,
>> >
>> > I've not before had to edit code right in a function, but I think I need
>> > to. I am using lmer() and want to use a model that uses zero weights. I
>> > found this thread from 2009:
>> >
>> > https://stat.ethz.ch/pipermail/r-sig-mixed-models/2009q1/001995.html
>> >
>> > but I'm unsure of how I would actually go about editing the code in the
>> > package.
>> >
>> > Part of the problem is that I can't even find lmerFrames(). I can see it
>> > being called in lmer, but if I just type in
>> >
>> > lmerFrames
>> >
>> > or
>> >
>> > fix(lmerFrames)
>> >
>> > I get nothing.
>> >
>> > The note from Doug Bates is that the function is "hidden"- is there a
>> trick
>> > to getting at these hidden functions to edit them?
>> >
>> > Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> >
>> > --
>> > Michael Rennie, Research Scientist
>> > Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute
>> > Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
>> >
>> >         [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>> >
>> > ______________________________________________
>> > 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
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Michael Rennie, Research Scientist
> Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute
> Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
>



-- 
Michael Rennie, Research Scientist
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

