R help - Oct 2006 - Package development on Windows - latest guidance?

I would like to start building R packages under Windows XP.  I
have programming experience and a minimal but working knowlege
of many Unix (-like) programming tools. The package functions
(for now) will be from R source, not C or Fortran.

I've installed Rtools, Perl, the MS hhc, and so on.  I am
setting up a command shell with the correct PATH for building
packages.  (The master Windows PATH points to different
versions of make and grep that I prefer for my usual work.)

Two questions:

1.  GUIDANCE.  Is the Peter Rossi document now the best place
to look for detailed guidance?  I have located it at

http://www1.appstate.edu/~arnholta/Software/MakingPackagesUnderWindows.pdf

The links to it on the R Project Website are no longer good. I
am also reading at the latest version of "Writing R
Extensions."

2. LATEX.  In Rossi's paper, fpTeX is recommended (I use VTeX
in everyday work).  However, fpTeX has been discontinued by
the author.  What is the best way to get an R-compatible TeX
installation for this work? (or might I get VTeX working --
its command line is idiosyncratic but it can create PDF, DVI,
or HTML directly from LaTeX source)?

Mike Prager
Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA
Beaufort, North Carolina  USA

There are pointers to information in the links section of:
   http://code.google.com/p/batchfiles/
and some XP batch files that facilitate using R and
building packages on XP.  Regarding LaTeX, use MiKTeX.


On 10/28/06, Michael Prager <mike.prager at noaa.gov>
wrote:
> I would like to start building R packages under Windows XP.  I
> have programming experience and a minimal but working knowlege
> of many Unix (-like) programming tools. The package functions
> (for now) will be from R source, not C or Fortran.
>
> I've installed Rtools, Perl, the MS hhc, and so on.  I am
> setting up a command shell with the correct PATH for building
> packages.  (The master Windows PATH points to different
> versions of make and grep that I prefer for my usual work.)
>
> Two questions:
>
> 1.  GUIDANCE.  Is the Peter Rossi document now the best place
> to look for detailed guidance?  I have located it at
>
> http://www1.appstate.edu/~arnholta/Software/MakingPackagesUnderWindows.pdf
>
> The links to it on the R Project Website are no longer good. I
> am also reading at the latest version of "Writing R
> Extensions."
>
> 2. LATEX.  In Rossi's paper, fpTeX is recommended (I use VTeX
> in everyday work).  However, fpTeX has been discontinued by
> the author.  What is the best way to get an R-compatible TeX
> installation for this work? (or might I get VTeX working --
> its command line is idiosyncratic but it can create PDF, DVI,
> or HTML directly from LaTeX source)?
>
> Mike Prager
> Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA
> Beaufort, North Carolina  USA
>
> ______________________________________________
> 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 10/28/2006 10:49 AM, Michael Prager wrote:
> I would like to start building R packages under Windows XP.  I
> have programming experience and a minimal but working knowlege
> of many Unix (-like) programming tools. The package functions
> (for now) will be from R source, not C or Fortran.
> 
> I've installed Rtools, Perl, the MS hhc, and so on.  I am
> setting up a command shell with the correct PATH for building
> packages.  (The master Windows PATH points to different
> versions of make and grep that I prefer for my usual work.)
> 
> Two questions:
> 
> 1.  GUIDANCE.  Is the Peter Rossi document now the best place
> to look for detailed guidance?  I have located it at
> 
> http://www1.appstate.edu/~arnholta/Software/MakingPackagesUnderWindows.pdf
> 
> The links to it on the R Project Website are no longer good. I
> am also reading at the latest version of "Writing R
> Extensions."
An appendix of the R Installation and Administration manual is kept up 
to date with each release; the web page 
(http://www.murdoch-sutherland.com/Rtools/) contains the most current 
information.
> 
> 2. LATEX.  In Rossi's paper, fpTeX is recommended (I use VTeX
> in everyday work).  However, fpTeX has been discontinued by
> the author.  What is the best way to get an R-compatible TeX
> installation for this work? (or might I get VTeX working --
> its command line is idiosyncratic but it can create PDF, DVI,
> or HTML directly from LaTeX source)?
I use mikTeX.

Duncan Murdoch