R help - Aug 2010 - Download xls file from internet

I am trying to download an Excel file from the the internet with the
following R command

download.file("http://ir.eia.gov/wpsr/psw09.xls","C:\\Temp\\psw09.xls")

The file is downloaded but when I try and open it I get a message from Excel
telling me that the file is corrupt and it cannot be opened.

If I manually download the file it opens without problems.

Any insights would be gratefully received.

Kind regards

Pete




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hi pete,
try
download.file("http://ir.eia.gov/wpsr/psw09.xls","C:\\Temp\\psw09.xls",mode="wb")
since xls are binary files.

cheers

Am 05.08.2010 23:25, schrieb Pete B:
> 
> I am trying to download an Excel file from the the internet with the
> following R command
> 
>
download.file("http://ir.eia.gov/wpsr/psw09.xls","C:\\Temp\\psw09.xls")
> 
> The file is downloaded but when I try and open it I get a message from
Excel
> telling me that the file is corrupt and it cannot be opened.
> 
> If I manually download the file it opens without problems.
> 
> Any insights would be gratefully received.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Pete
> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Eik Vettorazzi
Institut f?r Medizinische Biometrie und Epidemiologie
Universit?tsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Martinistr. 52
20246 Hamburg

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