[R-SIG-Mac] automating some tasks

[Ulises Mora Alvarez]

Hi!

>From the command line type:
?.First

Take a careful look at. Now type:
?options

On the other hand, '/usr/bin/open' or 'open' for short is a MacOX command 
which open files  using the default application associated with its 
extension. In my iBook the RHelp opens the Safari browser. Can you tell 
which is your default browser?

Why don't you try with the recently released R.dmg? (browse the 
list files). It seems to me like something is wrong with your current 
installation of R. 

Good look.



On Fri, 9 Jul 2004, Denis Chabot wrote:

> Hi, I have a few questions as a new user to R and some wishes for the 
> interface.
> 
> First, is a way to specify which packages should be opened 
> automatically when one starts R? Ideally a pane of the preferences 
> would show the packages that are installed, like the "Packages/Package 
> Manager" command does, but the boxes that would be checked there would 
> be remembered and this list would be opened each time R starts. 
> Obviously this is not implemented now, so is there an alternative that 
> exists now, maybe a command file that is automatically read when R 
> starts and where I could specify packages to be loaded automatically?
> Second, I don't know what to think of the Help menu. Because I got no 
> result from using it except a slowing down of my computer, I opened the 
> Process Viewer (I think it is called this in English, it is Moniteur 
> d'activité in French). I should precise that I am working on a 700 MHz 
> iMac with 768 Mo RAM and OS X 10.3.4. With no application other than 
> Finder, Mail, and Process Viewer, around 90% of the Processor Time is 
> available. Launching R does not change this much.
> 
> For this test, the first thing I did in R was selecting "Help/R Help", 
> the R Console says this:
> 
>  > help.start()
> Making links in per-session dir ...
> If /usr/bin/open is already running, it is *not* restarted, and you 
> must switch to its window.
> Otherwise, be patient ...
>  
> But nothing else of use happens. What is /usr/bin/open? How can I 
> switch to its window? There is not a Open application that appears in 
> the dock for me to switch to its window.
> At this point my Mac becomes sluggish, the processor activity jumped 
> from about 10 to 100%, and the two culprit are kernel_task (user Root) 
> and Open (user chabotd), with each about 45% of CPU time. Quitting R 
> does not stop these tasks. Indeed, after restarting R and choosing Help 
> again, I now have one kernel_task but two Open tasks! And still no 
> help!
> 
> I also tried the "Help/R for Mac OS X FAQ", but all that did is start 
> the hated rainbow spinning ball. This opened another "Open task". while 
> I typed this paragraph, R froze and I cannot go back to it, I can only 
> force quit it. I just did but the kernel_Task and the two Open tasks 
> still hug my CPU, so I'll have to force quite them as well!
> 
> I don't know Process Viewer very well, but it has an export button. If 
> you are interested, I used this button before launching Help from R and 
> after. I opened those plist files with TextWrangler and the information 
> is not in a format I can use easily, but maybe it is usable by whoever 
> will look in this matter. I will be pleased to email these 2 files on 
> request.
> 
> Is Help working better for others or is this just a growing pain of the 
> new Aqua interface for R?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Denis Chabot
> 
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> 

-- 
Ulises M. Alvarez
LAB. DE ONDAS DE CHOQUE
FISICA APLICADA Y TECNOLOGIA AVANZADA
UNAM
umalvarez at fata.unam.mx