[Rd] Suspect error in windows version of 3.60

[Duncan Murdoch]

On 27/04/2019 2:46 p.m., Duncan Murdoch wrote:
> On 27/04/2019 10:30 a.m., Len Weil wrote:
>> Gentlemen,
>>
>>    
>>
>> I've observed a suspected bug in R-3.60 for Windows 10.
>>
>> I am using the latest R version, but I have observed the same error in all
>> releases: alpha, beta RC and released.
>>
>> Also the same issue occurs in the 32 and 64 bit GUI versions.  The program
>> header I invoke is:
>>
>>    
>>
>> R version 3.6.0 Patched (2019-04-26 r76431) -- "Planting of a Tree"
>>
>> Copyright (C) 2019 The R Foundation for Statistical Computing
>>
>> Platform: x86_64-w64-mingw32/x64 (64-bit)
>>
>>    
>>
>> Specifically, the menu selection Packages -> install packages fails.
>>
>> When invoked, it simply echoes: utils:::menuInstallPkgs() and returns the
>> prompt.
>>
>>    
>>
>> I found the underlying code with the getAnywhere function.
>>
>> It displays:
>>
>> getAnywhere(menuInstallPkgs)
>>
>> A single object matching 'menuInstallPkgs' was found
>>
>> It was found in the following places
>>
>>     namespace:utils
>>
>> with value
>>
>>    
>>
>> function (type = getOption("pkgType"))
>>
>> {
>>
>>       install.packages(NULL, .libPaths()[1L], dependencies = NA,
>>
>>           type = type)
>>
>> }
>>
>> <bytecode: 0x0000000016c6a730>
>>
>> <environment: namespace:utils>
>>
>>    
>>
>> The first argument, NULL, prevents the underlying function install.packages
>> from working.
> 
> No, it is documented to trigger presentation of a list of packages to
> install.  That list takes time to download from CRAN, so perhaps you are
> just too impatient to wait for it, or perhaps it really is broken:  but
> the NULL is not the issue.
> 

Sorry, you were right.  The docs in 3.6.0 have changed:  now the pkgs 
argument must be missing to trigger the menu.  The NULL is not missing, 
it is interpreted as specifying no packages.

Duncan Murdoch