[Env: Win Xp] Is there any options() setting or call to help() or help.start() that will allow me to view a help file for a package built under R 2.10.x under R 2.9.2? I'm using both R 2.9.2 and R 2.10.1, but prefer the former because the CHM help is so much easier to use. Yet, if I install a package built for R 2.10.x, I can't find *any* way to display a help file in this package. For example, after library(TeachinDemos), > ?HWidentify Error in print.help_files_with_topic(x) : No text help for 'HWidentify' is available: corresponding file is missing In addition: Warning message: In print.help_files_with_topic("C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/chm/HWidentify") : No CHM help for 'HWidentify' in package 'TeachingDemos' is available: the CHM file for the package is missing So, I try > help.start() updating HTML package listing updating HTML search index If nothing happens, you should open 'C:\R\R-2.9.2\doc\html\index.html' yourself I can then get to file:///C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/html/00Index.html but then all the links there give Not Found, e.g., file:///C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/html/HWidentify.html and, indeed, C:\R\R-2.9.2\library\TeachingDemos\html contains only 00Index.html. All the links therein are to .html files in the same directory, so of course are wrong. -Michael -- Michael Friendly Email: friendly AT yorku DOT ca Professor, Psychology Dept. York University Voice: 416 736-5115 x66249 Fax: 416 736-5814 4700 Keele Street http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/friendly.html Toronto, ONT M3J 1P3 CANADA
On 29/01/2010 2:34 PM, Michael Friendly wrote:> [Env: Win Xp] > Is there any options() setting or call to help() or help.start() that > will allow me to view a help file for > a package built under R 2.10.x under R 2.9.2? > > I'm using both R 2.9.2 and R 2.10.1, but prefer the former because the > CHM help is so much easier > to use. Yet, if I install a package built for R 2.10.x, I can't find > *any* way to display a help file in this > package. > > For example, after library(TeachinDemos), > > ?HWidentify > Error in print.help_files_with_topic(x) : > No text help for 'HWidentify' is available: > corresponding file is missing > In addition: Warning message: > In > print.help_files_with_topic("C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/chm/HWidentify") > : > No CHM help for 'HWidentify' in package 'TeachingDemos' is available: > the CHM file for the package is missing > > So, I try > > help.start() > updating HTML package listing > updating HTML search index > If nothing happens, you should open 'C:\R\R-2.9.2\doc\html\index.html' > yourself > > I can then get to > file:///C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/html/00Index.html > but then all the links there give Not Found, e.g., > file:///C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/html/HWidentify.html > > and, indeed, C:\R\R-2.9.2\library\TeachingDemos\html contains > only 00Index.html. > All the links therein are to .html files in the same directory, so of course > are wrong. >The CHM help files were built at package install time. Binary packages are images of already-installed packages, so they won't have CHM files unless installed in 2.9.x or earlier. So you "just" need to get the package source, and install it into the earlier R. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes not. Duncan Murdoch
Dear Michael, the help system has been rearranged considerably. It is not possible to use binary packages prepared under R-2.10.x with earlier versions of R. The other way round is also not a really good idea. Note also that the most recent version of TeachingDemos (2.5) uses help markup that does not work with R versions prior to R-2.10.0. You can use TeachingDemos 2.4 with R-2.9.x, tough (and that version is still available in the Windows binary repository for the R-2.9.x series. Hence just say install.packages("TeachingDemos") if you wanto to stay with that "ancient" version of R. Best wishes, Uwe On 29.01.2010 20:34, Michael Friendly wrote:> [Env: Win Xp] > Is there any options() setting or call to help() or help.start() that > will allow me to view a help file for > a package built under R 2.10.x under R 2.9.2? > > I'm using both R 2.9.2 and R 2.10.1, but prefer the former because the > CHM help is so much easier > to use. Yet, if I install a package built for R 2.10.x, I can't find > *any* way to display a help file in this > package. > > For example, after library(TeachinDemos), > > ?HWidentify > Error in print.help_files_with_topic(x) : > No text help for 'HWidentify' is available: > corresponding file is missing > In addition: Warning message: > In > print.help_files_with_topic("C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/chm/HWidentify") > : > No CHM help for 'HWidentify' in package 'TeachingDemos' is available: > the CHM file for the package is missing > > So, I try > > help.start() > updating HTML package listing > updating HTML search index > If nothing happens, you should open 'C:\R\R-2.9.2\doc\html\index.html' > yourself > > I can then get to > file:///C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/html/00Index.html > but then all the links there give Not Found, e.g., > file:///C:/R/R-2.9.2/library/TeachingDemos/html/HWidentify.html > > and, indeed, C:\R\R-2.9.2\library\TeachingDemos\html contains > only 00Index.html. > All the links therein are to .html files in the same directory, so of > course > are wrong. > > -Michael > >