[R] how to use "..."

[Duncan Murdoch]

On 13-01-20 5:54 PM, John Sorkin wrote:
> Why are the help pages not right? The ... construct is a fundamental
> part of the language syntax. Information about this fundamental
> construct should be easily available!

Yes, I agree it should be easily available.  Why does that mean it has 
to be on the help pages?  Maybe that manual on how to use the *complete* 
help system would be useful after all.

Duncan Murdoch

> John
>
> John David Sorkin M.D., Ph.D.
> Chief, Biostatistics and Informatics
> University of Maryland School of Medicine Division of Gerontology
> Baltimore VA Medical Center
> 10 North Greene Street
> GRECC (BT/18/GR)
> Baltimore, MD 21201-1524
> (Phone) 410-605-7119
> (Fax) 410-605-7913 (Please call phone number above prior to faxing)>>>
> Duncan Murdoch <murdoch.duncan at gmail.com> 1/20/2013 5:06 PM >>>
> On 13-01-20 2:56 PM, Steve Taylor wrote:
>  >> On 13-01-20 2:28 PM, Steve Taylor wrote:
>  >>>> From: Duncan Murdoch
>  >>>> Maybe we just need a manual on how to use the existing help
> system.  But
>  >>>> I suspect people who won't read the existing manuals won't read that
>  >>>> one, either.
>  >>>
>  >>> Duncan, I assume you're being facetious.  Every R user soon learns
> to use
>  >> help() and help.search() or their equivalents.  We don't need a
> manual to teach
>  >> that.
>  >>
>  >> There are other parts of the help system that you don't appear to know
>  >> about.  Run help.start() for the main index page.  help() is kind of a
>  >> shortcut to the section labelled "Packages".  help.search() gets you to
>  >> "Search Engine & Keywords".  There are 15 other headings to explore
> as well.
>  >
>  > I know about them even tho I didn't mention them.
>  >
>  >>>
>  >>>>> Rolf Turner wrote:
>  >>>>>> The "help" facility is applicable to functions and data sets.
> It is not
>  >>>>>> designed
>  >>>>>> or intended to give "help" with respect to R syntax (with the
> exception of
>  >>>>>> the basic syntax of the operators --- unary and binary --- and the
>  >>>>>> associated
>  >>>>>> rules of precedence).
>  >>>
>  >>> Then why are there help pages ?":::", ?"for", ?"NA_character_",
> ?".C" and ?"??"
>  >> but not ?"..." ?!
>  >>
>  >> Those are all functions or other objects, while ... is not.  There are
>  >> examples of topic aliases that are not objects, e.g. ?Syntax, but mostly
>  >> Rolf is right.  Most discussion of the syntax is in the manuals.
>  >
>  > Nevertheless, help("...") is a reasonable thing for a user to do and
> expect some help.
>  >
>
> I agree it should do something.  I think I'll have it lead to ?Reserved,
> and add pointers to the manuals from there.  I don't think the help()
> pages are right for it.
>
> Duncan Murdoch
>
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