[R] help went away from top emacs window :-(

[Duncan Murdoch]

On 11/3/2006 12:02 AM, Spencer Graves wrote:
>       This change has created problems for me using XEmacs 21.4.19 with 
> ESS 5.3.1
> 
>  > ?help
> 
> Error in 
> print.help_files_with_topic("c:/progra~1/R/R-2.4.0/library/utils/chm/help") 
> :
>     CHM file could not be displayed
> 
>  > sessionInfo()
> R version 2.4.0 (2006-10-03)
> i386-pc-mingw32

Can one of you ESS users track down what's going wrong?  When I run 
Rterm at a command prompt with the --ess option, I have no trouble 
displaying CHMHELP.  It looks to me like an Emacs bug, but I can't 
really see how it could cause that particular error message.

Duncan Murdoch

> locale:
> LC_COLLATE=English_United States.1252;LC_CTYPE=English_United 
> States.1252;LC_MONETARY=English_United 
> States.1252;LC_NUMERIC=C;LC_TIME=English_United States.1252
> 
> attached base packages:
> [1] "methods"   "stats"     "graphics"  "grDevices" "utils"     "datasets"
> [7] "base"    
> 
>       Restoring the previous default with "options(chmhelp=FALSE)" 
> eliminates this problem.  From the time I first noticed this problem 
> until just prior to reading this thread, I used RGui to get help.  (It 
> wasn't hard to think of this, because 'install.packages' under ESS goes 
> waits for me to select a mirror -- but without asking me to select 
> such!  Result:  I used RGui instead of Rterm under XEmacs to 
> install.packages.) 
> 
>       FYI. 
>       Thanks for all your great efforts on R.  It has definitely made me 
> much more productive, and I believe it is making substantive 
> contributions to the improvement of people's quality of life all over 
> the world. 
> 
>       Best Wishes,
>       Spencer Graves
> 
> Richard M. Heiberger wrote:
>> I agree with both Duncan and Martin.  With Duncan, that this is not
>> a Windows FAQ.  With Martin, that it is an FAQ.  I recommend that it
>> go on the R FAQ page, prior to the current 7.24.  Here is a draft of the
>> question and an outline of the answer.
>>
>> 7.24 Why does the help information, for example when I type "?lm",
>>   show up in (a browser window, an emacs buffer in its own frame, an
>>   emacs buffer in the same frame as *R*, in a Windows-style help window,
>>   in a new frame inside the Rgui window, in a new frame on the computer
>>   screen)?  I really want it in the (choose from the same list).
>>
>> The answer includes at least the following:
>> On Windows, set options(chmhelp=TRUE/FALSE).
>> With Java, use help.start()
>> In emacs, set the emacs variable ess-help-frame
>> ....
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On the correct default for ESS, I am not sure for myself.
>> I can see a case both for help in emacs buffers and in the
>> chmhelp window.  This week I am tending to the chmhelp window,
>> even when on emacs.
>>
>> Rich
>>
>> ______________________________________________
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>> 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.
>>