[R-SIG-Mac] Save History Not Implemented?

[David Winsemius]

On a machine running the binary install version of R on OSX, the Mac OSX FAQ regarding this issue is at: 

file:///Applications/R.app/Contents/Resources/RMacOSX-FAQ.html#History

The default location for history files accrued while in R.app is .Rapp.history stored in the Starup directory.

And you are told: "Note that the functions loadhistory(), savehistory() and hence history() are not currently supported in R.app."


> On Mar 21, 2016, at 6:00 AM, Joseph Kunkel <jkunkel1 at une.edu> wrote:
> 
> I report new clues to lock-up of Mac R-GUI:
> 
>  Model Name:MacBook Pro
>  Model Identifier:MacBookPro10,1
>  Processor Name:Intel Core i7
>  Processor Speed:2.7 GHz
>  Number of Processors:1
>  Total Number of Cores:4
>  L2 Cache (per Core):256 KB
>  L3 Cache:6 MB
>  Memory:16 GB
>  Boot ROM Version:MBP101.00EE.B0A
>  SMC Version (system):2.3f36
>  Serial Number (system):C02KP40GFFT1
>  Hardware UUID:1C991826-2C15-5AF1-8C81-1F69F51034A1
> 
> R for Mac OS X GUI 1.67-devel Mavericks build
> 
> R for Mac OS X GUI written by:
> Simon Urbanek
> Hans-Jörg Bibiko
> Stefano M. Iacus
> 
> I installed R in my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013).  I have been using R since mid 2000s and started using the OS X GUI fairly early in my R experience and value its organization of my R use.
> 
> About a year ago I started having interuptions in my R-GUI use where it locks up.  All of several past interactions on the R-SIG-MAC so far have not eliminated this locking up.  In the latest go-around it was terminated with the idea that it was related to my use of large data sets and long calculations particularly ones that also used the rgl library.
> 
> As part of the drama of R Mac OS X GUI locking up, which has not been resolved for me yet, I now discovered new clues in the past month during which I have not used rgl.
> 
> 1) When I boot R-GUI anew  the File/Open Recent has no entries.
>    … if I do a carriage-return at the R prompt the File/Open Recent list is populated.
> 2) The history for the active workspace has not been working for me.  It only loads the history that was collected in some earlier work directory. It does not save the current history in either an older directory or the (currently set in R/Preferences/General/Startup/Directory[x]Always_apply) current work directory .
> 3) When I try to save the current history using the > savehistory(file = ".Rhistory”) or simply  > savehistory() … I get the following message:
> 
> ######
> 
>> savehistory(file = ".Rhistory”)
> Error in .External2(C_savehistory, file) :
>  'savehistory' is not currently implemented
> 
> #####
> 
> I have only made changes to R operation through R-GUI Preferences.  Is there something going wrong with the history functions in the GUI?
> 
> Work is slowed by lack of a useful history and continued need to reboot R in a complicated way each time the GUI locks up.
> 
> When I run R in a terminal at my home directory,  history works as advertised after I have done some work and q() with a save … then reboot R in terminal and use up-arrow to retrieve old R statements.
> 
> 4) I reiterate the tedious procedure for rebooting after a lock-up of GUI typically with a few R-scripts open in editors:
> a) kill the R process ID
> b) reboot the R-GUI, which by default loads the previously open R-scripts.
> c) close those R-scripts and do not do any R-work.
> d) quit()
> e) reboot the R-GUI and close it immediately with another q() {otherwise go back to step ‘a’.}
> f) reboot the R-GUI and resume R-work {with no history … as usual} e.g. load a script into the editor, edit and run it.  But, avoid trying to load another R-script into the ediitor after having run the one script.
>     … The scripts used are what I would call regular scripts accessing relatively small data sets and plotting results and _not_ using the difficult rgl library.
> 
> I am not sure how many other users are experiencing the same symptoms.
> 
> Joe
> 
> -·.  .· ·.  .><((((º>·.  .· ·.  .><((((º>·.  .· ·.  .><((((º> .··.· >=-       =º}}}}}><
> Joseph G. Kunkel, Research Professor
> 112A Marine Science Center
> University of New England
> Biddeford ME 04005
> http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/kunkel/
> 
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David Winsemius
Alameda, CA, USA