From p.dalgaard@biostat.ku.dk  Tue Jan  2 20:56:25 2001
From: p.dalgaard@biostat.ku.dk (Peter Dalgaard BSA)
Date: 02 Jan 2001 21:56:25 +0100
Subject: [Rd] pos.to.env and sys.xxx documentation (PR#801)
In-Reply-To: pperkins@ucsd.edu's message of "Tue, 2 Jan 2001 21:14:32 +0100 (MET)"
References: <200101022014.VAA19397@pubhealth.ku.dk>
Message-ID: <x2r92lwu4m.fsf@blueberry.kubism.ku.dk>

pperkins@ucsd.edu writes:

> Full_Name: peter perkins
> Version: 1.2.0
> OS: linuxppc
> Submission from: (NULL) (24.4.89.36)
> 
> 
> i'm assuming that these are shortfalls in the documentation, and not bugs
> in the function themselves.
> 
> 1) the help page for pos.to.env gives two examples:
> 
>    Examples:
> 
>      pos.to.env(1)
>      pos.to.env(length(search()))
> 
> the second of these returns NULL which (to me) does not seem to fit
> the description of the function.  an explanation of why this seems
> to be a special case would be helpful.

This is correct. The NULL environment is at the end of the search list
(also known as "package:base"). It is a feature not very much loved by
me, but a feature nevertheless. In this environment, objects are bound
directly to symbols rather than stored in a hash structure.

> 3) the sys.xxx help page says:
> 
>    The parent of a function evaluation is the environment in which
>    the function was called. It is not necessarily one less than the
>    frame number of the current evaluation, nor the environment from
>    which it is called.
> 
> i think the first sentence ought to read "the environment in which the
> function was declared".  unless there is some syntactic subtlety that
> makes the environment "in which [it] was called" different from the one
> "from which [it] is called".

Close, but it's the *second* sentence that needs to be changed... 

-- 
   O__  ---- Peter Dalgaard             Blegdamsvej 3  
  c/ /'_ --- Dept. of Biostatistics     2200 Cph. N   
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[Rd] pos.to.env and sys.xxx documentation (PR#801)
Peter Dalgaard BSA