> -----Original Message----- > From: Marc Schwartz [mailto:marc_schwa...@me.com] > Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 2:04 PM > To: Steven McKinney > Cc: R-help@r-project.org > Subject: Re: [R] Navigate to Index page of a package from R command > prompt > > On Jul 23, 2009, at 3:30 PM, Steven McKinney wrote: > > > > > Hi all, > > > > Is there a way to navigate directly to the "Index" page of help > > for a package? > > > > Here's my connundrum: > > > > I download and install package "foo". > > I don't know what functions are in package "foo", > > so I can't invoke the help for package "foo" via > >> ?someFunction > > > > help(package = "foo") > > pops up some non-hyperlinked information page, not > > package foo's help Index page. > > > > If the package author kindly made a "foo" object or function > > and put that in package "foo", then > >> ?foo > > works and yields a help page for package "foo". > > Now at the bottom of the help page is a hyperlink "Index" > > and I can click that to navigate to the main help Index page > > (the page I really want to get to straight from the R > > command line). > > > > I see that the link to "Index" for package "foo" appears always to be > > (on my Mac) > > > file:///Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library/foo/html/00Ind > ex.html > > > > e.g. > > > file:///Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library/cmprsk/html/00 > Index.html > > > > > file:///Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library/utils/html/00I > ndex.html > > > > Is there a command from the R listener that can take me directly to > > this "00Index.html" page of help for package "foo"? > > > > something like > >> help("00Index", package = "utils") > > > > (but this does not work)? > > > > Any info appreciated > > > > Best > > > > Steven McKinney > > > Steven, > > Once a package has been loaded with 'library(PackageName)', you can > use .path.package("PackageName") to get the path to the main package > installation folder and then append the remainder: > > library(survival) > > > .path.package("survival") > [1] "/Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library/survival" > > > file.path(.path.package("survival"), "html", "00Index.html") > [1] "/Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library/survival/html/ > 00Index.html" > > See ?.path.package and ?file.path for more information. > > You can also use .find.package() for unloaded packages and that is > described on the same help page as .path.package. > > Finally, you can use browseURL() to bring the index file up in your > browser: > > browseURL(file.path(.path.package("survival"), "html", > "00Index.html")) > > HTH, > > Marc Schwartz
Thanks Marc, Certainly useful information. I'm just baffled and confused as to why > ?survival or > ?survival:Index or some such incantation doesn't just take me right to the index page for package "survival" in the default help browser for the R session. Why does it take so much work to get to the index page? > library("survival") > browseURL(file.path(.path.package("survival"), "html", "00Index.html")) does conceptually do what I'm looking for, but not in the default browser. I'd like to file a feature request on R-devel if this is not too naïve of a request. ?survival:Index or some such syntax should do what you illustrate above, but in the default help mechanism. I don't yet know enough about the ? and ?? machinery to develop such a capability. Any ideas? Best Steve McKinney ______________________________________________ R-help@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.