[R] potential issue in download.file() help page

Jeff Newmiller jdnewm|| @end|ng |rom dcn@d@v|@@c@@u@
Mon Nov 5 06:20:39 CET 2018


The documentation describes the behavior of the program. The function signature shows how the arguments are declared. Both are correct.

If you read an implementation [1] you will see that the missing() function is used to implement the described behavior, rather than using a default value for the argument. I don't know why this choice was made (changes in language over time?), but setting up argument default values is only one way to accomplish the described behavior.

[1] https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/trunk/src/library/utils/R/windows/download.file.R

On November 4, 2018 4:56:19 PM PST, "Stéphane Guillou" <stephane.guillou using member.fsf.org> wrote:
>Hi there
>
>I was told by Martin Maechler that I should send this request to R-help
>
>rather than R-core, so here it is.
>
>I noticed that the download.file() documentation does not show a
>default 
>value passed on to the `method` argument in the "Usage" section, even 
>though it is stated underneath that the default method is `"auto"`.
>
>Does this need fixing?
>
>Cheers

-- 
Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.




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