R help - Nov 2006 - Installing a package - and making it work?

Dear list
 
- Propoerly a beginner question, so bare with my frustration...
 
I tried install the 'shapefiles' package into R 2.4.0 but it seems that
the install had little effect...
 

		> install.packages(c("shapefiles"))
		--- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
		trying URL
'http://cran.dk.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/2.4/shapefiles_0.5.zip'
		Content type 'application/zip' length 42335 bytes
		opened URL
		downloaded 41Kb
		package 'shapefiles' successfully unpacked and MD5 sums checked
		The downloaded packages are in
		        C:\TEMP\RtmpMz5Pqb\downloaded_packages
		updating HTML package descriptions
		>  dbf <- read.dbf("test.dbf")
		Error: could not find function "read.dbf"
		> 
		
		Note thet the last line contains an error.

 
Is the package installed or not?
How do I get access to use the functionality it offers??
 
:-? Martin Hvidberg

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

On Fri, 3 Nov 2006, Hvidberg, Martin wrote:
> Dear list
>
> - Propoerly a beginner question, so bare with my frustration...
>
> I tried install the 'shapefiles' package into R 2.4.0 but it seems
that the install had little effect...
>
>
> 		> install.packages(c("shapefiles"))
> 		--- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
> 		trying URL
'http://cran.dk.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/2.4/shapefiles_0.5.zip'
> 		Content type 'application/zip' length 42335 bytes
> 		opened URL
> 		downloaded 41Kb
> 		package 'shapefiles' successfully unpacked and MD5 sums checked
> 		The downloaded packages are in
> 		        C:\TEMP\RtmpMz5Pqb\downloaded_packages
> 		updating HTML package descriptions
library("shapefiles")
> 		>  dbf <- read.dbf("test.dbf")
> 		Error: could not find function "read.dbf"
> 		>
>
> 		Note thet the last line contains an error.
>
>
> Is the package installed or not?
yes. The book (package) is in the library (is is installed). But you need 
to take it from the shelf and open it to read (load it into R via 
`library("<pkgname>")').

Best wishes,

Torsten
> How do I get access to use the functionality it offers??
>
> :-? Martin Hvidberg
>
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>
>

On Fri, 3 Nov 2006, Hvidberg, Martin wrote:
> Dear list
>  
> - Propoerly a beginner question, so bare with my frustration...
Yes, and posting to R-help three minutes after posting to R-sig-geo, the 
correct list - raises the question about who's time is more important, 
doesn't it?

What does help.search("read.dbf") tell you? 

(hint: read.dbf() in shapefiles calls read.dbf() in the recommended 
"foreign" package, which is certainly already present in your
(unstated)
Windows binary R 2.4.0 installation.)
>  
> I tried install the 'shapefiles' package into R 2.4.0 but it seems
that the install had little effect...
>  
> 
> 		> install.packages(c("shapefiles"))
> 		--- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
> 		trying URL
'http://cran.dk.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/2.4/shapefiles_0.5.zip'
> 		Content type 'application/zip' length 42335 bytes
> 		opened URL
> 		downloaded 41Kb
> 		package 'shapefiles' successfully unpacked and MD5 sums checked
> 		The downloaded packages are in
> 		        C:\TEMP\RtmpMz5Pqb\downloaded_packages
> 		updating HTML package descriptions
> 		>  dbf <- read.dbf("test.dbf")
> 		Error: could not find function "read.dbf"
> 		> 
> 		
> 		Note thet the last line contains an error.
> 
>  
> Is the package installed or not?
> How do I get access to use the functionality it offers??
>  
> :-? Martin Hvidberg
> 
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
> 
-- 
Roger Bivand
Economic Geography Section, Department of Economics, Norwegian School of
Economics and Business Administration, Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen,
Norway. voice: +47 55 95 93 55; fax +47 55 95 95 43
e-mail: Roger.Bivand at nhh.no