R devel - Sep 2010 - Is an R sub-session somehow possible?

I wrote the interface between R and TeXmacs. Recently, I added tab
completion. However, there is one slight problem. In order to enable easy
interaction with R, I (I.e. my program) interact with the command-line
interface. This means that the user can invoke demo(), and then R will
interact with the user and ask to press enter.
It also means that the user can enter
a<-c(3,4
and then R will respond with '+'.

The problem is this: the way I implemented tab completion is calling an R
function that creates the completion. But, while in the middle of user
input, I can't call a function.

I guess that ESS for emacs has the same problem. when I enter
"a<-c(3,4",
and then on the next line try to do tab completion, ESS replies that 'ESS
process is not ready. Finish your command before trying again'.
Of course while interacting with R on the command line, tab completion does
work.

So, the question is - is there any way to interrupt the current input to R,
call a function, get the return value, and then continue with the input
where it was? To do something similar to what pressing 'tab' in R does
internally? Something like the equivalent of ctrl-Z for a shell?

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On Sep 7, 2010, at 2:06 PM, ghostwheel wrote:
> 
> I wrote the interface between R and TeXmacs. Recently, I added tab
> completion. However, there is one slight problem. In order to enable easy
> interaction with R, I (I.e. my program) interact with the command-line
> interface. This means that the user can invoke demo(), and then R will
> interact with the user and ask to press enter.
> It also means that the user can enter
> a<-c(3,4
> and then R will respond with '+'.
> 
> The problem is this: the way I implemented tab completion is calling an R
> function that creates the completion. But, while in the middle of user
> input, I can't call a function.
> 
Why not? After the "+" prompt you're back in ReadConsole so
it's safe.

Cheers,
Simon

> I guess that ESS for emacs has the same problem. when I enter
"a<-c(3,4",
> and then on the next line try to do tab completion, ESS replies that
'ESS
> process is not ready. Finish your command before trying again'.
> Of course while interacting with R on the command line, tab completion does
> work.
> 
> So, the question is - is there any way to interrupt the current input to R,
> call a function, get the return value, and then continue with the input
> where it was? To do something similar to what pressing 'tab' in R
does
> internally? Something like the equivalent of ctrl-Z for a shell?
> 
> -- 
> View this message in context:
http://r.789695.n4.nabble.com/Is-an-R-sub-session-somehow-possible-tp2530174p2530174.html
> Sent from the R devel mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
> 
>