From Kurt.Hornik@ci.tuwien.ac.at  Mon Apr  9 13:46:43 2001
From: Kurt.Hornik@ci.tuwien.ac.at (Kurt Hornik)
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 14:46:43 +0200
Subject: [Rd] Detaching "ctest"
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.4.20.0104090928480.13680-100000@laplace>
References: <15052.51139.270582.27097@mithrandir.hornik.net>
 <Pine.GSO.4.20.0104090928480.13680-100000@laplace>
Message-ID: <15057.44851.453347.367801@mithrandir.hornik.net>

>>>>> Jonathan Rougier writes:

> On Thu, 5 Apr 2001, Kurt Hornik wrote:
>> >>>>> Jonathan Rougier writes:

>> > I certainly agree with this last point.  However, the problem is
>> > lessened if the user can use .Rprofile to tune the set-up.  The
>> > current arrangement prevents that (or, at least, makes it rather
>> > inelegant) by using .First to load ctest (and, in the future, other
>> > mandatory packages?).  It seems to me that in an ideal world .Rprofile
>> > would be the very last thing invoked before the prompt.  That way
>> > whatever set-up is put in place by the system administrator or the
>> > default, the individual user still has control.
>> 
>> But this is exactly what happens---settings from .Rprofile do override
>> the system and site defaults.  The question is whether .First should be
>> used for package setup, or something else ...

> OK! if you put it like that, then I think that .First should definitely
> *not* be used for package set-up, as it prevents .Rprofile commands from
> being the last things executed before the prompt, and thus removes
> "complete user control" of the set-up.

Not sure if I understand this.

Upon startup,

   * Then, unless `--no-init-file' was given, R searches for a file
     called `.Rprofile' in the current directory or in the user's home
     directory (in that order) and sources it.

   * It also loads a saved image from `.RData' if there is one (unless
     `--no-restore' or `--no-restore-data' was specified).

   * Finally, if a function `.First' exists, it is executed.  This
     function (as well as `.Last' which is executed at the end of the R
     session) can be defined in the appropriate startup profiles, or
     reside in `.RData'.

as per R-intro, so the user has perfect control over what happens by
providing a suitable .First in e.g. his ~/.Rprofile.

???

-k
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[Rd] Detaching "ctest"
Kurt Hornik