R help - Apr 2004 - Lost graph contents using Copy as metafile

Dear colleagues:
I use R 1.9.0 on Windows XP. One of my common tasks is to get R graphs into
Word documents.  A open windows() device, almost always trellis.device() for
me, provides great convenience with the right-click shortcut menu item
"Copy
as metafile".  I typically have the History > Recording feature turned
on as
well.

Since upgrading to 1.9.0, I have experienced an intermittent problem that I
unfortunately cannot reproduce reliably.  Sometime well within a session,
when I use the "Copy as metafile" technique, the resulting paste into
a
MS-Word document results in a blank "picture" graph object as it
appears in
Word.  The graph's object outline (to resize, move, etc.) can be seen, but
everything inside is lost.  When I try shutting down the current graphics
device and restart a fresh one, the problem does not go away...the graph
looks fine on the R trellis device window, but its contents cannot be copied
and pasted successfully into a Word document. Again, the embedded object is
there, is identified by Word as a picture, but is blank.  If I re-start R,
all is OK again with "Copy as metafile", i.e.. pasting from the
on-screen
device into Word is as desired.

Has anyone else encountered this? I am loath to report it as a bug at this
point, since I cannot reliably reproduce it.

Thanks,
Bill
> version
platform i386-pc-mingw32
arch     i386           
os       mingw32        
system   i386, mingw32  
status                  
major    1              
minor    9.0            
year     2004           
month    04             
day      12             
language R    

----------------------------------------
Bill Pikounis, Ph.D.

Biometrics Research Department
Merck Research Laboratories
PO Box 2000, MailDrop RY33-300  
126 E. Lincoln Avenue
Rahway, New Jersey 07065-0900
USA

Phone: 732 594 3913
Fax: 732 594 1565



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Dear Bill,

I don't think that you've had a reply yet, so: I reported this problem a
little while ago and understand that it will be fixed.

John
> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-bounces at stat.math.ethz.ch 
> [mailto:r-help-bounces at stat.math.ethz.ch] On Behalf Of Pikounis, Bill
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 1:48 PM
> To: 'r-help at lists.R-project.org'
> Subject: [R] Lost graph contents using Copy as metafile
> 
> Dear colleagues:
> I use R 1.9.0 on Windows XP. One of my common tasks is to get 
> R graphs into Word documents.  A open windows() device, 
> almost always trellis.device() for me, provides great 
> convenience with the right-click shortcut menu item "Copy as 
> metafile".  I typically have the History > Recording feature 
> turned on as well.
> 
> Since upgrading to 1.9.0, I have experienced an intermittent 
> problem that I unfortunately cannot reproduce reliably.  
> Sometime well within a session, when I use the "Copy as 
> metafile" technique, the resulting paste into a MS-Word 
> document results in a blank "picture" graph object as it 
> appears in Word.  The graph's object outline (to resize, 
> move, etc.) can be seen, but everything inside is lost.  When 
> I try shutting down the current graphics device and restart a 
> fresh one, the problem does not go away...the graph looks 
> fine on the R trellis device window, but its contents cannot 
> be copied and pasted successfully into a Word document. 
> Again, the embedded object is there, is identified by Word as 
> a picture, but is blank.  If I re-start R, all is OK again 
> with "Copy as metafile", i.e.. pasting from the on-screen 
> device into Word is as desired.
> 
> Has anyone else encountered this? I am loath to report it as 
> a bug at this point, since I cannot reliably reproduce it.
> 
> Thanks,
> Bill