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tools::startDynamicHelp(): Randomly prevents R from exiting (on MS Windows)

3 messages · Steve Martin, Henrik Bengtsson

Original
Henrik Bengtsson
# 
ISSUE:

On MS Windows, running cmd.exe, calling

Rscript --vanilla -e "port <- tools::startDynamicHelp(); port; port <-
tools::startDynamicHelp(FALSE); port"

will sometimes stall R at the end, preventing it from existing.  This
also happens when running R in interactive mode.  It seems to stem
from calling tools::startDynamicHelp(FALSE).

Before filing a formal bug report, can someone please confirm this
behavior? You might have to call it multiple times to hit the bug.

DETAILS:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.3803]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\hb>R --version
R version 4.3.2 (2023-10-31 ucrt) -- "Eye Holes"
Copyright (C) 2023 The R Foundation for Statistical Computing
Platform: x86_64-w64-mingw32/x64 (64-bit)

R is free software and comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
You are welcome to redistribute it under the terms of the
GNU General Public License versions 2 or 3.
For more information about these matters see
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

C:\Users\hb> Rscript --vanilla -e "port <- tools::startDynamicHelp();
port; port <- tools::startDynamicHelp(FALSE); port"
starting httpd help server ... done
[1] 18897
[1] 0

[WORKED]

C:\Users\hb> Rscript --vanilla -e "port <- tools::startDynamicHelp();
port; port <- tools::startDynamicHelp(FALSE); port"
starting httpd help server ... done
[1] 17840
[1] 0

[STALLED]

Bugwhisperer Bengtsson
Steve Martin
# 
Henrik,

I was able to reproduce this both with Rscript and interactively using the same version of R you're using (fresh install) and Windows 10.0.22621.2715. It took about a dozen tries.

Steve

-------- Original Message --------
On Jan 6, 2024, 12:38, Henrik Bengtsson wrote:

            

      
      
      
    

  
  


  

    

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      Henrik Bengtsson
    

    

      
      #
    

  


  

      
Thank you for confirming this. I just filed PR#18650
(https://bugs.r-project.org/show_bug.cgi?id=18650).

FWIW, I've found two other issues with startDynamicHelp() prior to this:

* https://bugs.r-project.org/show_bug.cgi?id=18645
* https://bugs.r-project.org/show_bug.cgi?id=18648

/Henrik

        
On Sat, Jan 6, 2024 at 5:53?PM Steve Martin <marberts at protonmail.com> wrote: