[R] user library help functionality (packages.html)

[Jarrett Barber]

Here's another help file question.

Some context: University setting wherein R is installed for  
availability to students and course instructors across campus in  
various PC labs.  Windows Vista environment.

Goal: To maximize flexibility and functionality of installing add-on  
packages and associated help files among different users, while  
avoiding conflicts across different user libraries.  (I could have my  
difficult-to-access sysadmin install _all_ libraries, but this seems  
wasteful, and would seem to present problems when my colleague or I  
want to update a package or install a newly available package but do  
not have time to wait a week or two for our sysadmin.)

Problem (?): As a course instructor, I want flexibility to install add- 
on libraries to a user (not site) library, and I don't want to step on  
my colleagues' toes (or vice-versa) when it comes to add-on packages  
and associated help files for use in classes.  I have no problem  
installing add-on packages to a user library, with one exception: I do  
not have permission to update the file $RHOME/doc/html/packages.html,  
as evidenced by a permission error upon installing a package to a user  
library using update.packages (not to the default site library, which  
is also restricted).  The installed add-on packages work fine, with  
the exception of some of the help functionality.  I find myself having  
to use browseURL() to point to the html files in the package's file  
structure.  I cannot expect the average student (or senior colleague)  
to tolerate this situation.

I'm thinking that I simply need to have my sysadmin give me and my  
colleagues (all users who want to install add-ons packages?)  
permission to read/write packages.html, and the problem will go away.   
But, before I ask my sysadmin to give permission, I want to know, does  
this create another problem?  For example, my colleague creates a  
library for STAT3000BC, which, I assume, will modify packages.html  
(assuming my sysadmin gives permission), then I create a library for  
STAT2010, which also modifies packages.html.  See my concern?  Does R  
somehow allow harmonious help functionality in such cases (by, for  
example, maintaining separate copies of packages.html for different  
users)?

Suggestions?  Thanks.

Jarrett


------------------------------------------------------
Jarrett Barber
Assistant Professor
Ross Hall Room 333
Department of Statistics
Dept. 3332
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Office: (307) 766-3341
Mobile: (307) 399-7759
FAX: (307) 766-3927
Reply To: jbarber8[ATT]uwyo.edu