Patches to the help files sound like a good idea. However, it isn't something I'm likely to get to immediately. I'm hoping that some other nice person will volunteer.
Pat Duncan Murdoch wrote: > On 12/17/2007 6:00 AM, Patrick Burns wrote: > >> I recently had a discussion with a user about loading >> and attaching in R. I was surprised that the help files >> don't provide a very clear picture. >> >> From my point of view 'load' and 'attach' are very >> similar operations, the difference being that 'attach' >> creates a new database on the search list while 'load' >> puts all the objects into the global environment. >> >> The help file for 'load' is inexplicit that this is what >> happens. The 'load' and 'attach' help files neither refer >> to the other in their See Also. >> >> Furthermore, the 'library' help file talks about "loading" >> packages. I would suggest that it should use "attaching" >> as that is the analogous operation. >> >> None of these three help files (nor that of 'save') has a >> Side Effects section. Personally I think that all help files >> should have a Side Effects section (to make it clear to >> new users what side effects are and that they are not a >> good thing for most functions to have). I can understand >> there could be another point of view on that. However, I >> definitely think that there should be a Side Effects section >> in the help files of functions whose whole point is a side >> effect. > > > I think you make good points. Care to submit patches? The source for > those man pages are in > > https://svn.R-project.org/R/trunk/src/library/base/man/attach.Rd > > https://svn.R-project.org/R/trunk/src/library/base/man/library.Rd > > https://svn.R-project.org/R/trunk/src/library/base/man/load.Rd > > https://svn.R-project.org/R/trunk/src/library/base/man/save.Rd > > If you send them to me before Thursday or after Jan 2, I'll take a > look. (If you send them to me during the Xmas break there's a good > chance they'll get lost.) > > Duncan Murdoch > > ______________________________________________ R-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel