In my job I write custom computer programs for data analysis, which
are used in our company's consulting business. Whenever I've needed
statistical analyses I've coded the algorithms myself, but my boss
wants me to start learning and using R, to speed up development.
I am very reluctuant to do this because I can't find adequate
*programming* documentation for R (though I can find a lot of
inadequate documentation). As far as I can tell, the R documentation
may be adequate for end-users who don't plan to do much programming
(if any at all), but it is completely unacceptable from the standpoint
of programming.
In a couple of simple exploratory projects I have been reduced to
programming by *trial and error*. For example, I just spent a couple
of fruitless hours trying to find information on how to modify a list
(all my ***guesses*** have failed; they either produce results
different from what I want, or generate errors such as "replacing
element in non-existent column"). How much fundamental basic can one
get in the documentation of a programming language than this sort of
information?[1] This is just one of many examples. My R code is filled
with crude hacks that I don't understand, and that I stumbled upon in
blind scrambles to get my code to work. How can I possible stand by
the results of my R scripts if they are the product of sheer
guesswork?
I even bought the R Reference Manual, vols. 1 and 2, and deeply regret
it, since they are nothing other than a hardcopy of the online manual
pages[1]. This is no substitute for a reference of the R language and
how to program it.
Is my impression correct that R is simply not well-documented enough
for serious programming? Have I missed a key reference to programming
R? To those of you who do a lot of programming in R (other than those
who are members of the R Development team, of course): what references
do you consult on questions about the programming language itself (as
opposed to this or that library function)?
Thanks!
kj
[1] A massive tome that I have called S-Plus 2000 Programmer's guide
has *nothing* on the subject. Unbelievable! 900 pages and not a word
on how one modifies a basic data type.
[2] This, BTW, was a *big* waste of money. I'm all for supporting
open source development, and often buy hardcopy manuals of free
software precisely for this reason, but for what I got in return for
my 100 USD, I'd been far better off sending directly to the R
Foundation the pittance that the publishers of the manual pass on to
it.
P.S. I'm aware of Introduction to R; this is OK as a tutorial,
particularly for end users, but by itself utterly inadequate as a
reference to the R language.