[Rd] Suggesting changes to HELP files?

Spencer Graves spencer.graves at pdf.com
Sun May 21 20:25:30 CEST 2006


Hi, Gabor:

<see inline>

Gabor Grothendieck wrote:
> On 5/21/06, Spencer Graves <spencer.graves at pdf.com> wrote:
>> Hi, Gabor:
>>
>>          Thanks.  My initial failed attempt to add to "R wiki" 
>> generated the
>> following two questions:
>>
>>          1.  What's the best way to find the R Wiki from 
>> "www.r-project.org"?
>>  I found it just now via RSiteSearch("R wiki").  Might it be reasonable
>> to add, e.g., a hot link to "R Wiki" under "Documentation"?
> 
> wiki.r-project.org will get you to it.  Hopefully there will be a link
> from the R home page at some point.
> 
> 
>>
>>          2.  I just found a page that reads, 'R Wiki - Documentation
>> The "Wikified" version of all R man pages. To access a given page, type
>> the name of an R function in the search box at top right and click
>> "search". Select the corresponding page in the search result.
>>
>> Alternatively, you can click the name of a function in an R code chunk
>> anywhere.'  (http://wiki.r-project.org/rwiki/doku.php?id=rdoc:rdoc)
>>
>>          I tried searching for 'vignette' but failed to get anything 
>> useful.
>> What am I missing?
> 
> There is a search box in the upper right on the wiki if you want to search
> or you can browse through the table of contents to find an appropriate
> spot to add info.
> 
SG:  I got the following from searching for 'vignette' using the box in 
the upper right:

Search

You can find the results of your search below. If you didn’t find what 
you were looking for, you can create or edit the page named after your 
query with the appropriate button.
Results
...
guides:stats-with-r:01intro-to-r: 1 Hits
...ProbForecastGOP/doc/vignette.pdf...

SG:  Clicking on "vignette" did nothing that I could see.  Clicking on 
"guides:..." sent me some place, but searching for "vignette" led me 
nowhere.

	  Someplace I thought I saw mention of "wikified" version(s) of all the 
help files.  Is that there, and I just don't know how to find it?  If 
not, is someone working on some auto-transfer protocol that would 
produce an initial version of such?  If yes, I wonder if I should wait 
until that's completed.  If no, then if I'm going to contribute to this 
'wiki', I need to better understand how it works.

           Thanks again,
           Spencer Graves
>>
>> Gabor Grothendieck wrote:
>> > You could consider adding something to the wiki while you are
>> > waiting.
>> >
>> > On 5/21/06, Spencer Graves <spencer.graves at pdf.com> wrote:
>> >>          Is there a procedure for suggesting changes to HELP files of
>> >> the core
>> >> R distribution?  If yes, what is it?  If it would be considered a
>> >> friendly gesture, I could find the relevant *.Rd file and submit a
>> >> suggested modification to it someplace.  Alternatively, I could just
>> >> send suggestions someplace if they would receive appropriate
>> >> consideration.
>> >>
>> >>          On many occasions, I think of modifications, e.g., additional
>> >> examples, that could be added to 'help' pages that I believe would 
>> make
>> >> it easier for people to understand how to use some R feature.  
>> Instead,
>> >> I often provide the same answer multiple times to different posts.
>> >>
>> >>          I can think of two changes off the top of my head that I'd
>> >> like to
>> >> see:  First, many if not all of the helps page in the nlme and lme4
>> >> packages should, I believe, include a reference Pinheiro and Bates.
>> >> This is not the place for modesty on the part of Pinheiro, Bates, and
>> >> co-workers.  I believe that many requests for help might be eliminated
>> >> if such references were added.  Failing that, it would be easier for
>> >> people like me to suggest someone read that book, because I wouldn't
>> >> feel such a need to spell out the entire citation every time.
>> >>
>> >>          Second, I think the description of 'vignette' could be
>> >> enhanced to
>> >> include some version of my 'p.s.' to
>> >> 'http://finzi.psych.upenn.edu/R/Rhelp02a/archive/73494.html' and other
>> >> similar posts.  In particular, I see that the 'edit' method is 
>> described
>> >> there, but I didn't understand what it said until I already knew 
>> how to
>> >> use it.  Also, 'edit' doesn't work for me under ESS / Emacs.  For 
>> that,
>> >> I use Stangle (as Sundar Dorai-Raj taught me).
>> >>
>> >>          Thanks,
>> >>          Spencer Graves
>> >>
>> >> ______________________________________________
>> >> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
>> >> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>> >>
>>
>



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