[R] running R commands asynchronously

[Greg Snow]

Tk windows run asynchronous to the rest of R, so you could write a small function that lets you type the command into a Tk window and runs it while you continue to work in the main R, then the window could signal you when the function finishes.

-----Original Message-----
From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-project.org] On Behalf Of Richard M. Heiberger
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2011 3:30 PM
To: r-help
Subject: [R] running R commands asynchronously

I am interested in running R commands asynchronously.

My first choice is in the same R session that I am currently in.
Here, the goal would be to run something like

     RunAsynchSameSession(myfunction(), "outputname.rda")

Once RunAsynchSameSession had started myfunction(),
RunAsynchSameSession would complete immediately.  myfunction would
keep going.  It is OK if execution of the myfunction() command
prevents new input to R until it has completed.  The important feature
is that RunAsynchSameSession must tell the progam that called it that
it was done.

Second choice is to start an independent process, BATCH or something
similar, and save the resulting data objects in an .rda file.

     RunAsynchBatch("myfile.r", "outputname.rda")

The RunAsynchBatch would start a batch process and complete
immediately after starting the batch file.  The batch file would run
independently until it was completed.  While I know how to do this,
for example with system(wait=FALSE), I would appreciate seeing a
worked collection of statements, including getting outputname.rda back
to the original R session.  I am working on Windows.

Rich

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