R devel - Sep 2007 - format text help pages Windows

Dear list,

Could someone enlighten me a bit on the
exact format used for text help pages
as I see them on Windows in the help/
folders of (compiled) package roots.

When opening an example of these files
in a text editor (?Bessel in GNU emacs),
the file is displayed as follows:


_^HB_^He_^Hs_^Hs_^He_^Hl_^H _^HF_^Hu_^Hn_^Hc_^Ht_^Hi_^Ho_^Hn_^Hs

Bessel                 package:base                 R Documentation

_^HB_^He_^Hs_^Hs_^He_^Hl_^H _^HF_^Hu_^Hn_^Hc_^Ht_^Hi_^Ho_^Hn_^Hs


_^HD_^He_^Hs_^Hc_^Hr_^Hi_^Hp_^Ht_^Hi_^Ho_^Hn:


      Bessel Functions of integer and fractional order, of first and
      second kind, J(nu) and Y(nu), and Modified Bessel functions (of
      first and third kind), I(nu) and K(nu).

[....]

How should other applications handle these files ? Running Rterm as
a console within eclipse, e.g., now displays ^H as small rectangles
and leaves the underscores while R itself (Rgui to be precise) and
ESS nicely display help pages with some formatting (color code for
Rgui and underlining in an ESS help buffer).

Many thanks in advance,
Tobias

-- 

Tobias Verbeke - Consultant
Business & Decision Benelux
Rue de la r?volution 8
1000 Brussels - BELGIUM

+32 499 36 33 15
tobias.verbeke at businessdecision.com

On 09/09/2007 11:53 AM, Tobias Verbeke wrote:
> Dear list,
> 
> Could someone enlighten me a bit on the
> exact format used for text help pages
> as I see them on Windows in the help/
> folders of (compiled) package roots.
> 
> When opening an example of these files
> in a text editor (?Bessel in GNU emacs),
> the file is displayed as follows:
> 
> 
> _^HB_^He_^Hs_^Hs_^He_^Hl_^H _^HF_^Hu_^Hn_^Hc_^Ht_^Hi_^Ho_^Hn_^Hs
> 
> Bessel                 package:base                 R Documentation
> 
> _^HB_^He_^Hs_^Hs_^He_^Hl_^H _^HF_^Hu_^Hn_^Hc_^Ht_^Hi_^Ho_^Hn_^Hs
> 
> 
> _^HD_^He_^Hs_^Hc_^Hr_^Hi_^Hp_^Ht_^Hi_^Ho_^Hn:
> 
> 
>       Bessel Functions of integer and fractional order, of first and
>       second kind, J(nu) and Y(nu), and Modified Bessel functions (of
>       first and third kind), I(nu) and K(nu).
> 
> [....]
> 
> How should other applications handle these files ? Running Rterm as
> a console within eclipse, e.g., now displays ^H as small rectangles
> and leaves the underscores while R itself (Rgui to be precise) and
> ESS nicely display help pages with some formatting (color code for
> Rgui and underlining in an ESS help buffer).
^H is the backspace character, so what you're seeing would be displayed 
as underlined text on a teletype.

I'd suggest that other applications should try not to work with these 
files at all.  You're better off working with the .html files in the 
html folder, because they have cross references, etc.  Only work with 
the contents of the help folder if you are limited in what you can display.

Duncan Murdoch