R help - Jun 2012 - Open windows explorer with specific path using system command

Hello!

I found out that it is possible to open the windows explorer with a
predefined path via the cmd.exe program using the following command:

explorer PATH

Back in R using the following command opens up the windows explorer:

system("explorer", intern=TRUE)

However, when I specify a path R returns the following warning message and
does not open the explorer at the specified path:
> system("explorer C:\\Users\\xxx", intern=TRUE)
character(0)
attr(,"status")
[1] 1
Warning message:
running command 'explorer C:\Users\xxx' had status 1

I quoted the \ otherwise R complained about not recognising \U from \Users.

However, when the command is executed as we would expect the double \\ are
replaced by only one \.

When I copy paste the explorer C:\Users\xxx bit from the R warning message
into the cmd.exe program the explorer is opened up at the specified path.

Does anybody have any idea why that fails?

Many thanks
Syrvn



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On Jun 14, 2012, at 12:14 , syrvn wrote:
> Hello!
> 
> I found out that it is possible to open the windows explorer with a
> predefined path via the cmd.exe program using the following command:
> 
> explorer PATH
> 
> Back in R using the following command opens up the windows explorer:
> 
> system("explorer", intern=TRUE)
> 
> However, when I specify a path R returns the following warning message and
> does not open the explorer at the specified path:
> 
>> system("explorer C:\\Users\\xxx", intern=TRUE)
> character(0)
> attr(,"status")
> [1] 1
> Warning message:
> running command 'explorer C:\Users\xxx' had status 1
> 
> I quoted the \ otherwise R complained about not recognising \U from \Users.
> 
> However, when the command is executed as we would expect the double \\ are
> replaced by only one \.
> 
> When I copy paste the explorer C:\Users\xxx bit from the R warning message
> into the cmd.exe program the explorer is opened up at the specified path.
> 
> Does anybody have any idea why that fails?
Could it be taking the whole line as a command name (with an embedded space
character)?

You might need the shell() function rather than system().

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