[R-SIG-Mac] Blank help window

Peter Dalgaard pd@lgd @ending from gm@il@com
Wed Oct 17 23:42:43 CEST 2018 

Hmm, when trying from R.app, do you see the following?

> ?data.frame
starting httpd help server ... done
> (tools::startDynamicHelp(NA))
[1] 26163

(The last bit is the port number of the HTTP server and will differ between invokations. I think you get 0 if the server isn't running and -1 if it failed to start.)

If the server is there, you could try connecting from your favourite browser at (say) http://127.0.0.1:26163/NEWS

If the server is there, but you cannot talk to it, then I suspect that a firewall is getting in the way.

-pd


> On 17 Oct 2018, at 20:53 , Ben Tupper <btupper using bigelow.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> The behavior I see is identical to what you describe regardless of the function (I used ?data.frame as an example).  The help commands
> 
> > ?<something>
> 
> and
> 
> > help("something")
> 
> both bring up a blank help window.  All of the other steps you have taken yield the same result on my system.
> 
> 
> R version 3.5.1 (2018-07-02) -- "Feather Spray"
> Copyright (C) 2018 The R Foundation for Statistical Computing
> Platform: x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0 (64-bit)
> 
> R is free software and comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
> You are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions.
> Type 'license()' or 'licence()' for distribution details.
> 
>   Natural language support but running in an English locale
> 
> R is a collaborative project with many contributors.
> Type 'contributors()' for more information and
> 'citation()' on how to cite R or R packages in publications.
> 
> Type 'demo()' for some demos, 'help()' for on-line help, or
> 'help.start()' for an HTML browser interface to help.
> Type 'q()' to quit R.
> 
> [R.app GUI 1.70 (7543) x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0]
> 
> > sessionInfo()
> R version 3.5.1 (2018-07-02)
> Platform: x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0 (64-bit)
> Running under: macOS Sierra 10.12.6
> 
> Matrix products: default
> BLAS: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/3.5/Resources/lib/libRblas.0.dylib
> LAPACK: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/3.5/Resources/lib/libRlapack.dylib
> 
> locale:
> [1] en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8/C/en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8
> 
> attached base packages:
> [1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods   base     
> 
> loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
> [1] compiler_3.5.1
> 
> 
> > capabilities()
>        jpeg         png        tiff       tcltk         X11        aqua    http/ftp     sockets      libxml        fifo 
>        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE 
>      cledit       iconv         NLS     profmem       cairo         ICU long.double     libcurl 
>        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE        TRUE 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Oct 17, 2018, at 1:48 PM, zListserv <zlistserv using gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Many thanks for your suggestions.  Not sure whether Ben’s issue is the same as mine.  Ben has problems with ?data.frame.  My issue is a blank help window when typing ?mean (or any other function).
>> 
>> Peter suggested checking capabilities().  They are all TRUE.
>> 
>> You both suggested checking configuration files.  Removing .Rprofile, .Rdata, and .Rapp.history made no difference.
>> 
>> Simon suggested:
>> 
>>> On 2018-10 -17, at 08:57, Simon Urbanek <simon.urbanek using r-project.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Few things to try:
>>> 
>>> - do you see anything in the error console?
>> 
>> Nothing noticeable in the error console, though I’m inexpert at reading it.
>>> 
>>> - remove (rename) any and all customization files like ~/.Rprofle ~/.RData etc.
>> 
>> No effect
>> 
>>> 
>>> - try running R from the console and starting the html help by hand to see if it works at all:
>>> tools::startDynamicHelp()
>>> help.start(browser="/usr/bin/open”)
>>> 
>> 
>> Help works when running R from console
>> 
>>> - if that works try the same from the R.app gui *before* using help:
>>> help.start(browser="/usr/bin/open”)
>> 
>> No effect in R (except it opens my default browser).
>> 
>>> 
>>> Cheers,
>>> Simon
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Oct 16, 2018, at 7:11 PM, zListserv <zlistserv using gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I recently migrated to a MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) using the Migration Assistant.  Everything went well, though there are always a few things that don't transfer such as applications installed by Brew which I installed manually.
>>>> 
>>>> An issue with R arose I can't solve.  The help systen opens with a blank window.
>>>> 
>>>> Help works when I run R from the terminal so I know the files are installed.  Help works fine on the Macintosh I used a the source for the migration so it isn't a problem I inherited.  Re-installing R (see sessionInfo below) didn't solve the problem.
>>>> 
>>>> Anyone have any suggestions how I can get help to work?
>>>> 
>>>> R version 3.5.1 (2018-07-02)
>>>> Platform: x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0 (64-bit)
>>>> Running under: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
>>>> 
>>>> Matrix products: default
>>>> BLAS: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/3.5/Resources/lib/libRblas.0.dylib
>>>> LAPACK: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/3.5/Resources/lib/libRlapack.dylib
>>>> 
>>>> locale:
>>>> [1] en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8/C/en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8
>>>> 
>>>> attached base packages:
>>>> [1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods  
>>>> [7] base     
>>>> 
>>>> other attached packages:
>>>> [1] HANDLS_0.34 zUtil_0.121
>>>> 
>>>> loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
>>>> [1] Rcpp_0.12.17    lattice_0.20-35 digest_0.6.15   MASS_7.3-50    
>>>> [5] chron_2.3-52    grid_3.5.1      plyr_1.8.4      xtable_1.8-2   
>>>> [9] DBI_1.0.0       RSQLite_2.1.1   sqldf_0.4-11    blob_1.1.1     
>>>> [13] sp_1.3-1        gsubfn_0.7      proto_1.0.0     tools_3.5.1    
>>>> [17] Matching_4.9-3  bit64_0.9-7     foreign_0.8-70  bit_1.1-14     
>>>> [21] compiler_3.5.1  maptools_0.9-2  memoise_1.1.0  
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> R-SIG-Mac mailing list
>>>> R-SIG-Mac using r-project.org
>>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-mac
>>> 
>> 
> 
> Ben Tupper
> Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
> 60 Bigelow Drive, P.O. Box 380
> East Boothbay, Maine 04544
> http://www.bigelow.org
> 
> Ecological Forecasting: https://eco.bigelow.org/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Peter Dalgaard, Professor,
Center for Statistics, Copenhagen Business School
Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Phone: (+45)38153501
Office: A 4.23
Email: pd.mes using cbs.dk  Priv: PDalgd using gmail.com

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