R help - Nov 2011 - Problem with edit()

Since installing R 2.14.0 on my Mac (a Mac Pro running 10.6.8) an issue has
arisen when using the vi editor in conjunction with the edit() command. More
specifically, commented lines disappear from edited functions when using
[functionname.R] <- edit().

That is, if you have created a function called “test.func” as such:

function ()
{
# This is a test
ex _ 4
    duh <- seq(1, 10)
    fuh <- seq(11, 20)
    plot(duh, fuh)
}

you will of course get an error message:

Error in edit(name, file, title, editor) :
  unexpected input occurred on line 4
 use a command like
 x <- edit()
 to recover

When using the “x <- edit” (or in this case, test.func <- edit()), the
comment “This is a test” will disappear from the edited function.

Does anyone have any insight into this problem?

Thanks,
Jeff Freedman

_____________________________
Jeff Freedman
Lead Research Scientist
AWS Truepower, LLC
463 New Karner Road
Albany, NY 12205
phone: 518-213-0044 (x1049)
fax: 518-640-6897


	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

There is a difference between parsed functions and .R files.  What you see when
you type the name of a function alone on the R command line is a text
representation of the parsed function that is ready to run in RAM. That has none
of the comments or whitespace from the function as you wrote it.  The parsed
version is what the "edit" function allows you to modify. This is why
we use .R files.

FWIW I never use the "edit" function. I use a separate window for
editing the code I want to keep, and either copy/paste the bits I want to
execute (with or without the use of macros to facilitate that) into the R
command line, or use the "source" function to pull in a set of
functions all at once.
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Jeff Freedman <JFreedman at awstruepower.com> wrote:
>Since installing R 2.14.0 on my Mac (a Mac Pro running 10.6.8) an issue
>has arisen when using the vi editor in conjunction with the edit()
>command. More specifically, commented lines disappear from edited
>functions when using [functionname.R] <- edit().
>
>That is, if you have created a function called ?test.func? as such:
>
>function ()
>{
># This is a test
>ex _ 4
>    duh <- seq(1, 10)
>    fuh <- seq(11, 20)
>    plot(duh, fuh)
>}
>
>you will of course get an error message:
>
>Error in edit(name, file, title, editor) :
>  unexpected input occurred on line 4
> use a command like
> x <- edit()
> to recover
>
>When using the ?x <- edit? (or in this case, test.func <- edit()), the
>comment ?This is a test? will disappear from the edited function.
>
>Does anyone have any insight into this problem?
>
>Thanks,
>Jeff Freedman
>
>_____________________________
>Jeff Freedman
>Lead Research Scientist
>AWS Truepower, LLC
>463 New Karner Road
>Albany, NY 12205
>phone: 518-213-0044 (x1049)
>fax: 518-640-6897
>
>
>	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
>______________________________________________
>R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>PLEASE do read the posting guide
>http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.