[R] two questions - function help and 32vs64 bit sessions

[Fowler, Mark]

Hi Duncan,
I tried your suggestion, but no luck. The first error is no surprise, it
just confirms the address is lost. The second line suggests it worked,
but it didn't. The session is still remembering the original address.

> tools::startDynamicHelp(FALSE) # shut it down
Warning message:
In file(out, "wt") :
  cannot open file
'C:\Users\fowlerm\AppData\Local\Temp\1\RtmpK09I4B\Rhttpd26c04742884': No
such file or directory
> tools::startDynamicHelp(TRUE)  # start it up
starting httpd help server ... done

-----Original Message-----
From: Duncan Murdoch [mailto:murdoch.duncan at gmail.com] 
Sent: July 16, 2014 10:47 AM
To: Fowler, Mark; r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch
Subject: Re: [R] two questions - function help and 32vs64 bit sessions

On 14/07/2014, 11:42 AM, Fowler, Mark wrote:
> Hello,
> 
>  
> 
> Two unrelated questions, and neither urgent.
> 
>  
> 
> Windows 7, R 3.0.1. Using R Console, no fancy interface.
> 
>  
> 
> The function help ultimately becomes lost to a session kept running 
> for extended periods (days). I.e. with a new session if you invoke the

> Help menu 'R functions (txt)...' it activates the html help and goes 
> to the named function page. This will work fine for at least a day, 
> but typically the next day invoking the help menu in this fashion will

> fail, as R looks for a temporary address it creates on your computer. 
> This gets lost, possibly due to network administration activity. So 
> then I save and start another session with same Rdata. Trivial enough 
> but irritating. Anybody know how to restore the 'link' without ending 
> and restarting the session?

I never have sessions that last that long, so I haven't tried this, but
I'd expect you could restart the help system in this way:

tools::startDynamicHelp(FALSE) # shut it down
tools::startDynamicHelp(TRUE)  # start it up

Duncan Murdoch

> 
>  
> 
> I have a mix of 32-bit and 64-bit requirements, with 64 the default. I

> became used to starting R sessions directly from the appropriate Rdata

> workspaces. With the latest version I need to start from the generic 
> icon and then load the workspace if I want 32-bit. Anybody know a way 
> to make the Rdata files keep track of which bit version they work 
> with, or some trick that accomplishes the same objective? The 32-bit 
> requirement is usually just RODBC, and the need for it is scattered 
> over lots of workspaces. Again, trivial but a nuisance. A more 
> pragmatic motive is to not oblige users of applications to think about

> it. Any way to make a session switch 'bits' with a source file?
> 
>  
> 
> Mark Fowler
> Population Ecology Division
> Bedford Inst of Oceanography
> Dept Fisheries & Oceans
> Dartmouth NS Canada
> B2Y 4A2
> Tel. (902) 426-3529
> Fax (902) 426-9710
> Email Mark.Fowler at dfo-mpo.gc.ca <mailto:Mark.Fowler at dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at 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.
>