R help - Aug 2015 - Why does R start in wrong working directory despite R_USER setting?

Hi
After launching newly-installed R 3.2.1 (on Windows 7), I run the following two
commands:
> getwd()[1] "C:/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start
Menu/Programs/R"
> Sys.getenv('R_USER')[1] "C:\\Users\\<my
username>\\Documents"
I would like the startup working directory to be that pointed to by R_USER.
I don't have administrative access to the machine.
Many thanks for any insight anyone can provide.
Mauricio
	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

Assuming you are using the GUI you can use the Properties of the 
shortcut to tell R where to start.

On 07/08/2015 17:31, Mauricio Cornejo via R-help wrote:
> Hi
> After launching newly-installed R 3.2.1 (on Windows 7), I run the following
two commands:
>> getwd()[1] "C:/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start
Menu/Programs/R"
>> Sys.getenv('R_USER')[1] "C:\\Users\\<my
username>\\Documents"
> I would like the startup working directory to be that pointed to by R_USER.
> I don't have administrative access to the machine.
> Many thanks for any insight anyone can provide.
> Mauricio
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list -- To UNSUBSCRIBE and more, see
> 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.
>
-- 
Michael
http://www.dewey.myzen.co.uk/home.html

Not really a question about R, but you can make a Windows shortcut that sets the
directory where you want it.

My preference is to start in different working directories depending on which
project I am working on. R_USER is not a project directory. One way to do that
is to double-click on an RData file located where you want to start. Another way
is to create a new shortcut in each directory. Another way is to add a line to
your script that sets the directory appropriately, though that makes sharing the
scripts harder. Another way is to use RStudio projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Newmiller                        The     .....       .....  Go Live...
DCN:<jdnewmil at dcn.davis.ca.us>        Basics: ##.#.       ##.#.  Live
Go...
                                      Live:   OO#.. Dead: OO#..  Playing
Research Engineer (Solar/Batteries            O.O#.       #.O#.  with
/Software/Embedded Controllers)               .OO#.       .OO#.  rocks...1k
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.

On August 7, 2015 12:31:16 PM EDT, Mauricio Cornejo via R-help <r-help at
r-project.org> wrote:
>Hi
>After launching newly-installed R 3.2.1 (on Windows 7), I run the
>following two commands:
>> getwd()[1] "C:/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start
Menu/Programs/R"
>> Sys.getenv('R_USER')[1] "C:\\Users\\<my
username>\\Documents"
>I would like the startup working directory to be that pointed to by
>R_USER.
>I don't have administrative access to the machine.
>Many thanks for any insight anyone can provide.
>Mauricio
>	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
>______________________________________________
>R-help at r-project.org mailing list -- To UNSUBSCRIBE and more, see
>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.

Hi Mauricio,
You can also run a directory selection file by including something like this:

source("SelectAnalysis.R")

in the .First function (see "An Introduction to R", section 10.8
Customizing the environment). Mine currently looks like this:

cat("(A)custudy\n(I)nterval analysis\n(O)mbo
mapping\nR\n(C)ourse\nStressaly(Z)er\n")
answer<-toupper(readline("Choose the project - "))
if(answer=="A") setwd("/home/jim/research/im/acustudy")
if(answer=="I")
setwd("/home/jim/research/interval_analysis")
if(answer=="O") setwd("/home/jim/research/ombo/mapping")
if(answer=="R") setwd("/home/jim/R")
if(answer=="C")
setwd("/home/jim/bitwrit/R_programming_course")
if(answer=="Z")
setwd("/home/jim/research/stressalyser/naomi")
print(list.files(pattern="[.]R"))
options(browser="konqueror",editor="kwrite",show.signif.stars=FALSE)

This should work on any system, regardless of your privileges.

Jim


On Sat, Aug 8, 2015 at 4:02 AM, Jeff Newmiller <jdnewmil at
dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:
> Not really a question about R, but you can make a Windows shortcut that
sets the directory where you want it.
>
> My preference is to start in different working directories depending on
which project I am working on. R_USER is not a project directory. One way to do
that is to double-click on an RData file located where you want to start.
Another way is to create a new shortcut in each directory. Another way is to add
a line to your script that sets the directory appropriately, though that makes
sharing the scripts harder. Another way is to use RStudio projects.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Jeff Newmiller                        The     .....       .....  Go Live...
> DCN:<jdnewmil at dcn.davis.ca.us>        Basics: ##.#.       ##.#. 
Live Go...
>                                       Live:   OO#.. Dead: OO#..  Playing
> Research Engineer (Solar/Batteries            O.O#.       #.O#.  with
> /Software/Embedded Controllers)               .OO#.       .OO#.  rocks...1k
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.
>
> On August 7, 2015 12:31:16 PM EDT, Mauricio Cornejo via R-help <r-help
at r-project.org> wrote:
>>Hi
>>After launching newly-installed R 3.2.1 (on Windows 7), I run the
>>following two commands:
>>> getwd()[1] "C:/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start
Menu/Programs/R"
>>> Sys.getenv('R_USER')[1] "C:\\Users\\<my
username>\\Documents"
>>I would like the startup working directory to be that pointed to by
>>R_USER.
>>I don't have administrative access to the machine.
>>Many thanks for any insight anyone can provide.
>>Mauricio
>>       [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>>
>>______________________________________________
>>R-help at r-project.org mailing list -- To UNSUBSCRIBE and more, see
>>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.
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list -- To UNSUBSCRIBE and more, see
> 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.

> >I would like the startup working directory to be that pointed to by
> >R_USER.
In Windows, right click on your R desktop shortcut (or create a new one pointing
to Rgui.exe) and on the properties tab, change "Start in:" to
%R_USER%

R will then start 'in' the R_USER directory if R_USER exists (that is,
the working directory will be set to R_USER's contents).

S Ellison




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