[R] On Reproducible Code

Fri Jul 27 20:59:38 CEST 2012

I would like to be able to refer briefly to longer explanations such as the stackoverflow article on reproducible examples rather than patiently rewrite such explanations. A posting guide with more specific recommendations would make it easier to "be patient".
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Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.

Hadley Wickham <hadley at rice.edu> wrote:

>That assumes:
>
>* Everyone reads the mailing list before making the first posting
>
>* Everyone reads every part of every email.
>
>I'd argue that both assumptions are false. People are particular well
>trained to skip over boilerplate text at the bottom of emails.
>
>I'd suggest an alternative approach is for experts to remember what
>it's like to be a novice, and cultivate an attitude of patience and
>tolerance.  That's about as likely to happen as a mass change in
>behaviour in new users.
>
>Hadley
>
>On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 9:48 AM, John Kane <jrkrideau at inbox.com> wrote:
>> I'd vote for that!
>> It would probably bug the blazes out of experienced users but the
>time savings in getting a newbie to actually supply enough information
>so that someone can, at least, try to answer the question would be well
>worth it.
>>
>> John Kane
>> Kingston ON Canada
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: gunter.berton at gene.com
>>> Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 07:49:28 -0700
>>> To: jrkrideau at inbox.com
>>> Subject: Re: [R] On Reproducible Code
>>>
>>> I agree and would like to see it placed at the **TOP** of every
>post.
>>>
>>> -- Bert
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 7:11 AM, John Kane <jrkrideau at inbox.com>
>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: jim at bitwrit.com.au
>>>>> Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:21:36 +1000
>>>>> To: dcarlson at tamu.edu
>>>>> Subject: Re: [R] On Reproducible Code
>>>>>
>>>>> On 07/26/2012 01:50 AM, David L Carlson wrote:
>>>>>> We often refer requesters to the Posting Guide and chide them for
>not
>>>>>> reading it.
>>>>> >...
>>>>>> I hesitate to sound too optimistic, but there might be some
>advantage
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> making the statement more prominent and adding a reproducible
>example
>>>>>> using
>>>>>> dput().
>>>>>>
>>>>> The reponses to some requests for help do seem to get a volley of
>the
>>>>> "reproducible code" answers. Some, such as:
>>>>>
>>>>> I can't get the answer. PLEASE HELP!!!
>>>>>
>>>>> probably deserve it, but others appear to emerge from the
>overheated
>>>>> brain of the frustrated noob. With a wonderfully informative name
>like
>>>>> "dput", it is rather challenging to guess that this function is
>the way
>>>>> to calm the affronted guru with an example of your problem. I am
>>>>> particularly amused by the phrase "reproducible code", which
>sounds
>>>>> perilously close to the definition of a virus. Perhaps the
>neglected
>>>>> little message at the bottom of each email (which seems to
>reproduce
>>>>> itself) might be easier for the uninitiated to understand if it
>read:
>>>>>
>>>>> Please include the R code that is causing the problem _and_ enough
>data
>>>>> (see the "dput" function) for someone else to run the code and get
>the
>>>>> same problem.
>>>>>
>>>>> I can remember when I didn't know that there was a "dput"
>function.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim
>>>> I can remember spending a lot of time constructing a data set to
>post
>>>> before someone mentioned ?dput.  Ah, yes, I still have a couple of
>>>> generic ones archived.
>>>>
>>>> I think your wording above makes a lot of sense.
>>>>
>>>> ____________________________________________________________
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>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>> 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.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Bert Gunter
>>> Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
>>>
>>> Internal Contact Info:
>>> Phone: 467-7374
>>> Website:
>>>
>http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm
>>
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>> ______________________________________________
>> 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.
>
>
>
>-- 
>Assistant Professor / Dobelman Family Junior Chair
>Department of Statistics / Rice University
>http://had.co.nz/
>
>______________________________________________
>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.