[R] Windows standard interface: change working dorectory

[Michael Dewey]

If they are going to run a script which you have prepared for them then 
they can click on File and then click on Source R code which opens the 
same Explorer type window but only shows runnable files.

 From the responses you are getting I think most people on this list do 
not come into contact with people who are so ignorant of computing 
basics. They are fortunate.

Michael

On 08/12/2025 17:27, Calboli Federico (LUKE) wrote:
> Jeff,
> 
> users will get the files they need to fill in on Teams, and will save them wherever they like. They will need to use R for image creation, but they are not trained for computing so they know where their stuff is, but I do not mean to expect they can use setwd() to set the working directory, or start with concepts such as working directory. Now they have the option of clicking their way to their files, they have been told their outputs will be next to those, and that is it.
> 
> I have work to do, I do not run a circus. My users have now the ability to run the scripts I wrote for them, get the images they need without the need for direct support, and we can go forth and get the stuff we get paid to do done. Sorry if using R as a tool for work offends.
> 
> F
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Federico Calboli
> 
> Erityisasiantuntija, tutkimusrahoitus
> 
> Palveluryhmät
> 
> Luonnonvarakeskus
> 
> Files come from somewhere. Where do the files you are referring to come from? Where will it go after you are done with it?
> 
> Most of the time files that inexperienced users deal with come from downloads using a web browser, and most of the time they are directed into a Downloads folder. Whether you use that or the desktop, if the files build up over time then that group of similar files will get larger without bound. Will you support deleting the files once you are done with them?
> 
> R can read files from a URL directly almost as easily as it can from a directory. Can you make R aware of that location?
> 
> If you have another program generating the file, can you have it put it into an agreeable place? If so, a temporary directory or filename may be sufficient, since the OS will clean that out occasionally (though cleaning up after yourself is a better solution.
> 
> 
> On December 8, 2025 6:24:29 AM PST, "Calboli Federico (LUKE)" <federico.calboli using luke.fi> wrote:
> 
> As much I might agree with you in theory, people here are just using R to produce some graphs using one line of code I generated, so they can do the job they are paid to do (which is not computing). Producing said graph and its permutations would be more complex in any other way, and I want to make sure the instructions I printed out for them are as simple, accessible, and require the least amount of supervision.
> 
> F
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Federico Calboli
> 
> Erityisasiantuntija, tutkimusrahoitus
> 
> Palveluryhmät
> 
> Luonnonvarakeskus
> 
> People who use computers should understand file names. It does not matter if you call them folders or directories they are the same animal.
> I have a file called "my_file"
> Where does it live? "On my computer" is like saying my mailing address is "Earth."
> 
> All files have a memory location in your computer where the computer can find the file contents. All names consist of two, but more commonly three parts: location, name, type. These answer "where is the file," "what is it called," and "what kind of file?" The format for location is disk drive followed by an ordered list of (directories or folders) from outer to innermost. I am on Windows, so for me this looks like c://dir1/dir2/dir3/. In words, I look on my hard drive named "C" and will find a directory called dir1. Inside dir1 will be dir2 and inside that will be dir3 where I can find my file.
> 
> File names typically end with a period followed by the type of file. .xlsx for an Excel file, .txt for a text file, .csv for comma separated values file, docx for a Microsoft word file. Most of the time on Windows the extension is hidden, and the path is shown at the top of the window. This was all very obvious in the old days working with DOS, but windows made things "easy" and took this away from the default output. In any case, files are all saved something like this: "c://dir1/dir2/dir3/my_file.docx".
> 
> I have multiple projects in R. I could change the working directory in R multiple times each day and try to keep up. I am bad at that. My solution is that I never change the working directory, so all read and write statements include the full file name, path and all. I can then switch between projects and not worry about where to read or save things and I do not sometimes get files saved in strange places. One could set the working directory at the start of each program, but that assumes that I want to always start working at the top of each program. I have not had much luck with that approach.
> 
> I sometimes write software for others to use. In this case I give users a popup window where they select their file using a graphical interface and then the program extracts the path from where the user got the file. This path is then added to the file name the user provides to save output. In this way I do not have to worry about the difference between "c://dir1/dir2/dir3/my_file.docx" and "c:\\dir1\dir2\dir3\my_file.docx"
> 
> Regards,
> Tim
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: R-help <r-help-bounces using r-project.org> On Behalf Of Calboli Federico (LUKE)
> Sent: Monday, December 8, 2025 6:22 AM
> To: r-help using r-project.org
> Subject: [R] Windows standard interface: change working dorectory
> 
> [External Email]
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I need to provide the simplest possible indication to R users with either windows or macos machines on how to change working directory. Using setwd() will not work because I cannot trust them to even understand the concept of working directory.
> 
> On macos it is possible to have a GUI menu (the standard R GUI) that would allow the users to "click their way to where their data files are", is there such facility for the windows R GUI (the out-of-the-box one)? I have no access to windows machines, so I cannot check, but I am sure some people will use a windows laptop.
> 
> F
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Federico Calboli
> 
> Erityisasiantuntija, tutkimusrahoitus
> 
> Palveluryhm�t
> 
> Luonnonvarakeskus
> 
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-- 
Michael Dewey