Changes specific to this version:
We discuss here the following topics:
* NEWS
* THE NEW GUI
* EXTERNAL EDITOR INTERACTION
* MEMORY
* SPECIFING OPTIONS: the .Renviron file
* R HELPERS
* SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
* FIXED BUGS
* KNOWN BUGS
* SHORT FAQ
NEWS
There are several enanchements in this release. Most of them concern
the user interface of R application but one of the most important novelty
is that now
R runs both on MacOS and MacOS X using Carbon technology. This means
that when you run R from MacOS X it run natively under the new System without
calling the Classic Compatibility Module. The use of R under MacOS X takes
lots of advantages starting from the new Aqua look.
As this version is based on the new Carbon technology some new bugs can appear that we were'nt able to found before releasing R officially.
Any feedback is then welcome at stefano.iacus@unimi.it
THE NEW GUI
Several menus are now present from this release. The structure of the
menus is as follows with a brief description.
| Menu | Item | Shortcut | Brief description |
| Apple | |||
| About R | Opens the R information dialog | ||
| File | |||
| New Edit Window | N | Opens an empty editable window. You can usethis as an internal editor for R. If the current active window isa graphic device window than a new macintosh() device will be opened. | |
| Edit Object | E | Is the equivalent of "edit(object)" | |
| Source File | O | Opens a file and sources it. This is equivalent to "source(file)" | |
| Open File For Editing | Opens a file in an editable window.Useful when you want to modify an existing script and test it. | ||
| File Show | F | Open a file in a non editable window. This isthe equivalent of R command "show.file(file)" | |
| Load Workspace File | L | If you want to load a wspace image otherthan ".RData" | |
| Save Workspace As | If you want to save an image file other the ".RData" | ||
| Page Setup | Calls the printer driver page setup | ||
| P | Print the text window (R Console etc) or the imagein the graphic device window. The image is rescaled to the page dimension of your printer. | ||
| Save | S | Save the window. This could be the content ofthe R Console i.e. your current R session any text window or the graphic device window. | |
| Save As... | Save the window. This could be the content ofthe R Console i.e. your current R session any text window or the graphicdevice window. This menu acts as a standard "Save As" menu so you have to specify each time the filename. | ||
| Close | W | Closes the current window. If it is the R Console window than it is interpreted as quitting R. | |
| Quit | Q | This menu item is on the Apple Menu under OSX | |
| Edit | |||
| Undo | Z | ||
| Cut | X | ||
| Copy | C | If you use it on a graphic device window theimage is copied to the clipboard (see also knownbugs) | |
| Paste | V | ||
| Copy & Paste | You copy some text and the resultis pasted into the R Console window. You use thiswhen you select a piece of R code of text windowand then you want to R to execute it. This is quite useful when you want to test part of your script of the examples of an help window | ||
| Clear | |||
| Select All | A | ||
| Goto line | Active only for editable windows. It moves thecursor to a certain line | ||
| Tools | |||
| Show Workspace | It is equivalent to "ls()" | ||
| Clear Workspace | It is equivalent to "rm(list=ls())" | ||
| Load Workspace | Loads the ".RData" file; equivalentto load(".RData") | ||
| Save Workspace | Save the workspace to ".RData"; equivalentto "save.image()" | ||
| Load History | It is equivalent to "loadhistory()" | ||
| Save History | It is equivalent to "savehistory()" | ||
| Show History | It is equivalent to "history()" | ||
| Change Working Directory | D | Allows the user to change the workingdirectory by using a standard dialog | |
| Show Working Directory | It is equivalent to "getwd()" | ||
| Reset Working Directory | It is equivalent to "setwd(R.home())" | ||
| Show Libraries | It is equivalent to "library()" | ||
| Show DataSets | It is equivalent to "data()" | ||
| Windows | |||
| R Console | This menu contains by default only the "R Console" item and it is dynamically changed by appending/removingthe names of any new/closed window | ||
| Config | |||
| Allow Interrupt | It is equivalent to set the option "Interrupt=TRUE" in the .Renvironment config file but this can be changed at runtime. | ||
| On Open Source | It is equivalent to set the option "OnOpenSource=TRUE" in the .Renvironment config file but this can be changed at runtime. Useful to work with external editor such as Alpha. | ||
| Help | |||
| R Help | ? | It is equivalent to "help.start()" | |
| Help On Topic | Opens a dialog where the user can specify an item he or she wants to see. Equivalentto "help(topic)" or "?topic" | ||
| Search Help On | Opens a dialog where the user can specify an argument to have help on. It is equivalent to"help.search("topic")" | ||
| Run An Example | Opens a dialog where the user can specify an item of which he or she wants to run anexample of. It is equivalent to "example(topic)". | ||
| Link Packages Help | After installing a new package you need to link help files database. |
About R windows.
Normally R opens windows to let 80 character/columns to be displayed.
The size of the windows is calculated on the basis of the size of the font
used.
For non fixed fonts the algorithm can fail so the window can result
a bit larger or smaller then needed.
R windows are opened in cascade for each class (edit windows, file
show windows and graphic windows). This functionality does not work on
MacOS X yet.
EXTERNAL EDITOR INTERACTION
From release 7.4.1 of the famous Alpha editor, there is a (tcl) mode
called S+/R.
When you open a file in Apha with the extension ".s" or
".r" this new mode will be installed and you will in the Alpha menu
bar the "S+/R" menu. Of this menu you can use "Process File" or "Process
Selection" to interact with R. By default Alpha sends an “open” command
to R and by default R opens a file in a non editable window (equivalent
to the “File Show” menu). If you want R to source a file you should modify
the .Renviron file accordingly (see below). In particular, the option “OnOpenSource”
is set by default to "FALSE". You should set it to "TRUE". You can change
this when R is still running by simply editing the .Renviron
file. Use "Open File For Editing" from the "File" menu and select the
file ".Renviron". Find the keyword "OnOpenSource" and set it to "TRUE"
(i.e. OnOpneSource=TRUE). The latest version of Alpha can be found at http://www.alpha.olm.net
MEMORY
Under MacOS you should reserve a fixed amount of memory to each application.
As R is just an application, you need to set this to a bigger amount of
memory if for some reason R went out of memory. To do this, go to the Finder
and select the R aplication icon. Then with CMD+I key obtain the Information
for R. Select "Memory" and the fix the amount of memeory you need. Under
MacOS X, there is no need to reserve memory for R. R will used as much
memory as it needs.
SPECIFING OPTIONS: the .Renviron file
In this file you can specify some of the options. This is not standard
for general MacOS/X applications because it currently repleaces the Preferences
one should expect. But, as we have not yet decided which and what number
of preferences items the user can specify, for the time being this is the
only flexible way to take care of user options.
The environment file is used by R application both to simulate the
enviroment on a standard Unix or Windows system and both to set user options.
You can always use "Sys.getenv()" to see which options are enabled/set.
In this file you can specify font names for the R Console and for the
graphic device as well as their sizes. The .Renviron file looks like this:
an option is a "Rkey" with its "keyvalue" that you can specify in new separate
line as follows RKey=keyvalue. Consider that RKey=keyvalue and RKey
= keyvalue are different, that means that blanks/spaces are significant.
"RKey" and "keyvalue" are case sensitive. A symbol "#" at the beginning
of a line means that this is a commented out line.
You can find more details on that in the .Renviron file itself.
Here are the options you can specify:
Lenght of the history size:
---------------------------
# The history size
# Default: RHISTSIZE=512
RHISTSIZE=512
R behaviour when R application receive a "break" event:
-------------------------------------------------------
# R can handle user breaks to
# interrupt lengthy calculations
# or output. As this code is not
# yet optimized, by default R
# does not accept user breaks.
# If the "Interrupt" switch
# is set to TRUE then R intercept
# user breaks. With this swtich on
# R is a bit slower than with the
# switch off
# Default: Interrupt=FALSE
This can be changed at runtime also via the Config menu.
R behaviour when R application receive an "open" event:
-------------------------------------------------------
# Wheter to show or source a file
# You should set this to TRUE if you
# want Alpha be your external editor
# Default: OnOpenSource=FALSE
OnOpenSource=FALSE
This means that when you drag a file on top of the R icon or you submit
something from an external editor, R application simply open it (FALSE)
or sources it (TRUE). If the file is a worspace image file, then R loads
that workspace. This can be changed at runtime also via the Config menu.
Tab size of text windows:
-------------------------
# The Tab size to use in text windows
# range [1,20]
# Default: TabSize=5
TabSize=5
Setting the text size of text and R Console windows:
----------------------------------------------------
# TextSize to be used in text windows
# range [8,14]
# Default: TextSize=12
TextSize=12
Macintosh device resolution:
----------------------------
# ScreenRes
# Useful values is only 72. Possibile other values
# are 144, 300, 600 but you should not use them unless
# you know exactly what you are doing ! So, please,
# don't change this parameter.
# Default: ScreenRes=72
ScreenRes=72
Name of the font for the R Console or text windows:
---------------------------------------------------
# FontName: this is the font used in text windows.
# There are several possibilities for this.
# You can specify any font you like but you should
# prefere a monospaced font. If the Monaco will be used instead.
# Font names are not case sensitive i.e.
# FontName=monaco and FontName=MoNacO are the same.
# If your font name includes spaces you should provide them
# without using quotes, i.e.
# FontName=Times New Roman
# Default: FontName=monaco
FontName=monaco
Name of the font for the Macintosh graphic device:
--------------------------------------------------
# GraphFontName: this font is used for graphic windows.
# There are several possibilities for this.
# If the font is not usable by R application, then
# the font Helvetica will be used instead.
# Font names are not case sensitive i.e.
# FontName=monaco and FontName=MoNacO are the same.
# If your font name includes spaces you should provide them
# without including quotes, i.e.
# FontName=Times New Roman
# Default: GraphFontName=helvetica
GraphFontName=helvetica
R HELPERS
* If you want to use an external editor we suggest you to use Alpha
version 7.4.1 or newer that contains a S+/R mode. Alpha home page
is
http://www.alpha.olm.net
* You also need MacZip to use the unzip feature of R. MacZip home page
is
http://ww.sitec.net/maczip
To run the R application you need at least 42MB of free memory for the
application itself you work under MacOS but there is no limitations under
MacOS X as virtual memory is always on.
You need the latest version of the
CarbonLib
library from Apple. At the time of this release, version 1.2.5 is the current non developer release.
Normally it is included in System 9.1 and X.
Now R needs the f2cLib shared library to run. This
library is distributed with R but in case you miss it you can found it here.
The minimum System version release is 8.6 (+ CarbonLib library).
You no longer need the WasteLib library.
FIXED BUGS
This version has several bugs fixed. Mostly GUI incongruencies and
problems have been resolved and few R internal numerical bugs. You have
signalled a bug but this has not yet been fixed, please "don't give up" but send
us again your feedback
(stefano.iacus@unimi.it)
| Q | How can I work on a separate directory for each of my projects? |
| A | Under Unix you usually create a directory, go into it and launch R. Under MacOS you can create a directory and put all the files that you need there. You then (or before) run R in its own directory and use the menu item "Tools->Change Working Directory" to change the current working directory to directory you have created. You can then work as you do in Unix. You can save/load workspace image to this directory, as well as the command history files. You can then reload these next time you work. |
| Q | How can I interrupt lengthy operations or output ? |
| A | You can now use the standard Macintosh control break sequence, that is you should press "Cmd option" plus "." (dot). This will interrupt any R loops. |
| Q | How can I change memory settings for R ? |
| A | You cannot use the standard settings as on other platforms. You should assign memory to R from the Finder/Information dialog for R application. See Section "Memory" above. |
stefano.iacus@unimi.it