Robert Baer
2025-Dec-12 00:54 UTC
[R] Windows standard interface: change working dorectory
One of the things that has really simplified things for my students is using RStudio to run R, and then always creating (working within) an RProject. The location of the RProject becomes the default location (home folder) for all related files in the project.? It dispenses with having to teach the students too much about absolute and relative paths, and it is very flexible in the sense that you can move a folder from one drive to another or from one computer to another, and things still work as long as you start R (RStudio) with the same project selected. I had no end of agony with "path confusion" before using this approach. Rob On 12/8/2025 5:22 AM, Calboli Federico (LUKE) wrote:> Hello, > > I need to provide the simplest possible indication to R users with either windows or macos machines on how to change working directory. Using setwd() will not work because I cannot trust them to even understand the concept of working directory. > > On macos it is possible to have a GUI menu (the standard R GUI) that would allow the users to "click their way to where their data files are", is there such facility for the windows R GUI (the out-of-the-box one)? I have no access to windows machines, so I cannot check, but I am sure some people will use a windows laptop. > > F > > > -- > > Federico Calboli > > Erityisasiantuntija, tutkimusrahoitus > > Palveluryhm?t > > Luonnonvarakeskus > > [[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 https://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.-- --- Robert W. Baer, Ph.D. Professor of Physiology Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine A.T. Still Univerisity of Health Sciences 800 W. Jefferson St. Kirksville, MO 63501
Bert Gunter
2025-Dec-12 02:37 UTC
[R] Windows standard interface: change working dorectory
I reply as a passive observer and not one with insight or advice. So certainly no need to respond. I am just amazed that in this day and age students of any sort in higher education institutions of any sort have difficulty understanding the basics of (the tree structure of) file organization on any sort of computer. I suspect that this reflects my profound ignorance of how most of today's young people have interacted with the manifold computational resources that they use every day through brilliantly crafted UI's. Still, I would have assumed that such knowledge would be basic to any "higher education" these days. Silly me... Cheers, Bert On Thu, Dec 11, 2025 at 4:54?PM Robert Baer via R-help <r-help at r-project.org> wrote:> One of the things that has really simplified things for my students is > using RStudio to run R, and then always creating (working within) an > RProject. > > The location of the RProject becomes the default location (home folder) > for all related files in the project. It dispenses with having to teach > the students too much about absolute and relative paths, and it is very > flexible in the sense that you can move a folder from one drive to > another or from one computer to another, and things still work as long > as you start R (RStudio) with the same project selected. > > I had no end of agony with "path confusion" before using this approach. > > Rob > > On 12/8/2025 5:22 AM, Calboli Federico (LUKE) wrote: > > Hello, > > > > I need to provide the simplest possible indication to R users with > either windows or macos machines on how to change working directory. Using > setwd() will not work because I cannot trust them to even understand the > concept of working directory. > > > > On macos it is possible to have a GUI menu (the standard R GUI) that > would allow the users to "click their way to where their data files are", > is there such facility for the windows R GUI (the out-of-the-box one)? I > have no access to windows machines, so I cannot check, but I am sure some > people will use a windows laptop. > > > > F > > > > > > -- > > > > Federico Calboli > > > > Erityisasiantuntija, tutkimusrahoitus > > > > Palveluryhm?t > > > > Luonnonvarakeskus > > > > [[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 > https://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. > > -- > --- > Robert W. Baer, Ph.D. > Professor of Physiology > Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine > A.T. Still Univerisity of Health Sciences > 800 W. Jefferson St. > Kirksville, MO 63501 > > ______________________________________________ > 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 > https://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. >[[alternative HTML version deleted]]