Hmmm, to follow up on my own question; it is likely that I have misunderstood the update note. Now, I read it as
foo <- function(x, ...) UseMethod() is deprecated and that foo <- function(x, ...) UseMethod("foo", x) ( or foo <- function(x, ...) UseMethod("foo") ) should be used. My concern/interpretation was that bar <- function(...) UseMethod("bar") is deprecated (where I saw "..." as the "arguments"). Reading ?UseMethod more carefully (it still says) - "If it is called with just one argument, the class of the first argument of the enclosing function is used as 'object': unlike S this is the actual argument passed and not the current value of the object of that name." - I see that the above should still be fine. So, now the note makes perfectly sense and it is *not* a "big step". Best wishes Henrik > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > Henrik Bengtsson > Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 7:54 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Rd] UseMethod call with no arguments > > > Dear R developers, > > I will ask a very straightforward question concerning > UseMethod's future, because people depending on my code > wonder what will happen to it next. > > In R v2.0.1 NEWS it says > > o The undocumented use of UseMethod() with no argument is now > formally deprecated. > > and in the R v2.0.1 help(UseMethod) it says > > 'UseMethod' accepts a call with no arguments and tries to deduce > the generic from the context. This was undocumented on the help > page and is now deprecated. It is allowed but 'strongly > discouraged' in S-PLUS. > > The short question is: UseMethod() with no arguments is > deprecated. Typically, after making something deprecated it > will later become defunct. Do you have any plans for when > this will happen? Are we talking months, years or in reality > never? A version number? > > Second, in R v2.0.0 NEWS there was nothing on making > UseMethod() without arguments deprecated (the latest patched > version I have is dated October 21st). As I believe a rather > big step has been taken, I am somewhat surprised that I > haven't seen it discussed. Was there a discussion taking > place elsewhere that I missed, or is it an "obvious" update? > > Finally, many thanks for making R (the software, the help, > the community, > ...) to what it is. > > Best wishes > > Henrik Bengtsson > > Dept. of Mathematical Statistics @ Centre for Mathematical Sciences > Lund Institute of Technology/Lund University, Sweden (+2h UTC) > +46 46 2229611 (off), +46 708 909208 (cell), +46 46 2224623 (fax) > h b @ m a t h s . l t h . s e, http://www.maths.lth.se/~hb/ > > ______________________________________________ > [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel > > ______________________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel