R-alpha: Rprofiles

Peter Dalgaard BSA writes:

The x11() window can be a nuisance to have popping up at startup (esp.
on small screens) when you're not working with graphics. However,
currently you can't get rid of it without modifying the systemwide
Rprofile. 

Current logic is:

Run $RHOME/library/Rprofile
if ./.Rprofile exists
	run it
else if $HOME/.Rprofile exists
	run that
endif

I think it should be

Run $RHOME/library/Rsetup
if ./.Rprofile exists
	run it
else if $HOME/.Rprofile exists
	run that
else if $RHOME/library/Rprofile exists
	run that
endif

i.e. essential system initialisation goes in Rsetup, the rest in
Rprofile, which can be overridden by the user.

I more or less agree, BUT:

I'd like (in the future) to have the system-wide Rprofile searched in a
site-specific location as well (similar to Emacs, following the idea of
keeping the distribution and the site-specific things apart).

So it would be
	system-wide Rsetup (which should basically be platform-specific
	  stuff, cause otherwise it could go into base as well?)
        if .Rprofile exists run it else
	if ~/.Rprofile exists run it else
        if Rprofile exists on the default library search path, run it

and that search path could e.g. specify all `library' trees with a
compile-time default of

	~/lib/R:/usr/local/lib/R/site:/usr/local/lib/R/${version}

and settable at run time via e.g. the environment variable R_PATH.

Currently, the line

if(interactive()) x11()

is the candidate to move from one to the other. BTW, it really should read

if(interactive() && getenv("DISPLAY")!="") x11()

Correct.  We've been making the same change with all upgrades :-)

[BTW2: getenv() implemented using system()? is that really necessary?]

-k
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