[R-SIG-Mac] html help and browser vs. Rgui

[Carl Witthoft]

Thanks, Simon.
I'll check out the current settings in my work machine's
org.R-project.R.plist file next week (we have Friday off. Yay!).

Carl
PS I use Firefox both at home and at work as my default, so I *hope* 
that's not the issue.

On 12/9/10 6:17 PM, Simon Urbanek wrote:
> Carl,
>
> On Dec 9, 2010, at 5:53 PM, Carl Witthoft wrote:
>
>> I have two separate questions about help windows.
>>
>> First:  I'm running R2.12 at home under 10.5.8, and at work under
>> 10.6.4 (Intel iMacs in both cases).
>>
>> At home, when I invoke help, e.g.,
>>> ?sin ,
>> I get the help page in the Rgui help window (and my web browser is
>> not called).
>>
>> But at work, the Rgui help window opens, remains blank, and the sin
>> help page shows up in my default web browser.
>>
>> Is there a way I can either force my work machine to use the Rgui
>> window, or at the least stop the useless help window from opening
>> up?
>>
>
> The default is what you see at home - and that is the intended
> behavior.
>
> There is a preference "use.external.help" that allows you to use an
> external browser (at the request of some users) - you can enable it
> using (in Terminal): defaults write org.R-project.R use.external.help
> YES
>
> and disable it using defaults delete org.R-project.R
> use.external.help
>
> So chances are that you enabled it at some point in the past (maybe?)
> - it's definitely NOT the default.
>
> Alternatively (if that's not the issue?) it may be some strange
> setting of your browser - but you'd have to provide more detains on
> that (e.g. do you use a custom browser instead of Safari which may be
> forcing that behavior?).
>
> Cheers, Simon
>
>
>
>> Am I able to use the Rgui help window at home just thru some luck
>> of pre-existing conditions (from the  R 2.8 or 2.9 days)?
>>
>> I checked, and the Library/Frameworks/.../base/R/Rprofile files are
>> the same on both machines, as are my personal   .Rprofile and
>> .Renvir files in my home directory.
>>
>>
>> Second: I noticed that on both machines, when I use the Search bar
>> in the document editor window (Rgui editor window),  the little
>> pop-up results panel displays the help page, with properly
>> functioning links to referenced help pages.  This suggests the help
>> system is working "behind the scenes" somehow on my work machine,
>> even though it fails to access the Rgui Help window.    Anything I
>> can do to adjust this?
>>