R devel - Sep 2009 - A couple of suggestions: source function (package base)

Hi,

I've been calling the function "source" (package base) from Tinn-R
editor to
send files, marked blocks and selections to R interpreter because it avoids a
lot of problems related with input/output synchronization in the Rgui output!

The new RGedit plugin is also using this function in this way, and we are
finishing a new version of a plugin to Vim (Vim-R-plugin2) which uses
also source().

So, I would like to propose two small changes in this function:

1. The "max.deparse" parameter could be a global option with 150 as
the default value.

   Why? It will avoid the need to send this parameter repeatedly,
which causes visual pollution in the console.

2. A new parameter (for example: "new.line") to allow the user to
define whether a new blank line between the output and the subsequent
input is desired when "echo=T".

Example, suppose I have in the editor the three lines below:

a=rnorm(10)
a
sort(a)

and I would like to send it to R interpreter (file, block or selection).

The current output is (using Vim-R-plugin2):
-------------------------------------------
> source('/tmp/.Rsource-jcfaria', echo=TRUE, max.deparse=50)
> a=rnorm(10)
> a
 [1]  0.08648104 -1.74996635  0.61027538  0.42042031 -0.02025884 -0.39891256
 [7] -0.30219635 -0.84476668  1.06341674 -0.12030620
> sort(a)
 [1] -1.74996635 -0.84476668 -0.39891256 -0.30219635 -0.12030620 -0.02025884
 [7]  0.08648104  0.42042031  0.61027538  1.06341674
>

How it could be (desired):
-------------------------
> source('/tmp/.Rsource-jcfaria', echo=TRUE)
> a=rnorm(10)
> a
 [1]  0.08648104 -1.74996635  0.61027538  0.42042031 -0.02025884 -0.39891256
 [7] -0.30219635 -0.84476668  1.06341674 -0.12030620
> sort(a)
 [1] -1.74996635 -0.84476668 -0.39891256 -0.30219635 -0.12030620 -0.02025884
 [7]  0.08648104  0.42042031  0.61027538  1.06341674
>
I think that both "new.line" and "max.deparse" could be both
global options.

max.deparse = 150 (default)
new.line    = FALSE (default)

Why? To get a clearer output.

In this way the args of this function would become:
---------------------------------------------------
function (file, local = FALSE, echo = verbose, print.eval = echo,
    verbose = getOption("verbose"), prompt.echo =
getOption("prompt"),
->  max.deparse.length = getOption("max.deparse"), new.line
getOption("new.line"), <-
    chdir = FALSE, encoding = getOption("encoding"), continue.echo
getOption("continue"),
    skip.echo = 0, keep.source = getOption("keep.source"))

For GUI/Editor developers this changes will allow to send simpler
instructions and
make nice and standard interfaces.

Is it possible to create the "new.line" argument and to put it and
"max.deparse" between the global options?

I would prefer not creating a custom version of source() because I
think that these changes would be of
benefit to other people and projects.

Thanks,
-- 
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
Jose Claudio Faria
Estatistica - prof. Titular
UESC/DCET/Brasil
joseclaudio.faria at gmail.com
joseclaudio.faria at terra.com.br
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\

I would find that useful too particularly for running long output from Stangle.

On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 9:22 PM, Jose Claudio Faria
<joseclaudio.faria at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've been calling the function "source" (package base) from
Tinn-R editor to
> send files, marked blocks and selections to R interpreter because it avoids
a
> lot of problems related with input/output synchronization in the Rgui
output!
>
> The new RGedit plugin is also using this function in this way, and we are
> finishing a new version of a plugin to Vim (Vim-R-plugin2) which uses
> also source().
>
> So, I would like to propose two small changes in this function:
>
> 1. The "max.deparse" parameter could be a global option with 150
as
> the default value.
>
> ? Why? It will avoid the need to send this parameter repeatedly,
> which causes visual pollution in the console.
>
> 2. A new parameter (for example: "new.line") to allow the user to
> define whether a new blank line between the output and the subsequent
> input is desired when "echo=T".
>
> Example, suppose I have in the editor the three lines below:
>
> a=rnorm(10)
> a
> sort(a)
>
> and I would like to send it to R interpreter (file, block or selection).
>
> The current output is (using Vim-R-plugin2):
> -------------------------------------------
>> source('/tmp/.Rsource-jcfaria', echo=TRUE, max.deparse=50)
>
>> a=rnorm(10)
>
>> a
> ?[1] ?0.08648104 -1.74996635 ?0.61027538 ?0.42042031 -0.02025884
-0.39891256
> ?[7] -0.30219635 -0.84476668 ?1.06341674 -0.12030620
>
>> sort(a)
> ?[1] -1.74996635 -0.84476668 -0.39891256 -0.30219635 -0.12030620
-0.02025884
> ?[7] ?0.08648104 ?0.42042031 ?0.61027538 ?1.06341674
>
>>
>
>
> How it could be (desired):
> -------------------------
>> source('/tmp/.Rsource-jcfaria', echo=TRUE)
>> a=rnorm(10)
>> a
> ?[1] ?0.08648104 -1.74996635 ?0.61027538 ?0.42042031 -0.02025884
-0.39891256
> ?[7] -0.30219635 -0.84476668 ?1.06341674 -0.12030620
>> sort(a)
> ?[1] -1.74996635 -0.84476668 -0.39891256 -0.30219635 -0.12030620
-0.02025884
> ?[7] ?0.08648104 ?0.42042031 ?0.61027538 ?1.06341674
>>
>
> I think that both "new.line" and "max.deparse" could be
both global options.
>
> max.deparse = 150 (default)
> new.line ? ?= FALSE (default)
>
> Why? To get a clearer output.
>
> In this way the args of this function would become:
> ---------------------------------------------------
> function (file, local = FALSE, echo = verbose, print.eval = echo,
> ? ?verbose = getOption("verbose"), prompt.echo =
getOption("prompt"),
> -> ?max.deparse.length = getOption("max.deparse"), new.line
> getOption("new.line"), <-
> ? ?chdir = FALSE, encoding = getOption("encoding"), continue.echo
> getOption("continue"),
> ? ?skip.echo = 0, keep.source = getOption("keep.source"))
>
> For GUI/Editor developers this changes will allow to send simpler
> instructions and
> make nice and standard interfaces.
>
> Is it possible to create the "new.line" argument and to put it
and
> "max.deparse" between the global options?
>
> I would prefer not creating a custom version of source() because I
> think that these changes would be of
> benefit to other people and projects.
>
> Thanks,
> --
> ///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
> Jose Claudio Faria
> Estatistica - prof. Titular
> UESC/DCET/Brasil
> joseclaudio.faria at gmail.com
> joseclaudio.faria at terra.com.br
> ///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>

The
extra "\n" is located at line 142 of the current source function:

cat("\n", dep, if (do.trunc)...

HTH,
-- 
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
Jose Claudio Faria
Estatistica - prof. Titular
UESC/DCET/Brasil
joseclaudio.faria at gmail.com
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\