R help - Nov 2009 - Fancy quotes on Windows

Hi,

I don't use Windows as my primary OS anymore, so didn't notice this 
until recently. In R-2.10.0 under Windows useFancyQuotes is FALSE by 
default, but this doesn't seem to affect the rendering of (text) help pages.

This is not a problem if I run via the Rgui or Rterm (via DOS prompt), 
as the help pages are rendered in a popup window that understands 
directional quotes. However, if I run under emacs/ESS, the help is 
rendered within emacs, which doesn't understand directional quotes, so 
any quoted text is surrounded by \221thetext\222, which is obviously 
difficult to read.

Is there another setting that I am missing that affects the usage of 
directional quotes for the help pages?

Thanks,

Jim


-- 
James W. MacDonald, M.S.
Biostatistician
Douglas Lab
University of Michigan
Department of Human Genetics
5912 Buhl
1241 E. Catherine St.
Ann Arbor MI 48109-5618
734-615-7826

On 11/6/2009 10:40 AM, James W. MacDonald wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I don't use Windows as my primary OS anymore, so didn't notice this
> until recently. In R-2.10.0 under Windows useFancyQuotes is FALSE by 
> default, but this doesn't seem to affect the rendering of (text) help
pages.
> 
> This is not a problem if I run via the Rgui or Rterm (via DOS prompt), 
> as the help pages are rendered in a popup window that understands 
> directional quotes. However, if I run under emacs/ESS, the help is 
> rendered within emacs, which doesn't understand directional quotes, so 
> any quoted text is surrounded by \221thetext\222, which is obviously 
> difficult to read.
> 
> Is there another setting that I am missing that affects the usage of 
> directional quotes for the help pages?
I don't see this.  Are you sure you haven't got a typo somewhere?

When I run options("useFancyQuotes") in a new session, I see

 > options("useFancyQuotes")
$useFancyQuotes
[1] TRUE

and when I ask for help, I see help pages that respect that choice, e.g.

 > ?mean

gives ?trim = 0? in the description of x.  If I set

 > options(useFancyQuotes=FALSE)
 > ?mean

I see 'trim = 0'.

Maybe if there's no typo, it's emacs or ESS that's messing up
somehow.

Duncan Murdoch