debugging functions in R

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Hi,

I am not sure if this is the right list to ask this question (though I did
not find a more appropriate one).
I've started using R a month ago, and small scripts work fine. However, when
I start writing more complex code, it gets messy.

1. Is there any way to debug "normally", with breakpoints?

fortune('browser')
My solution when I run into mysteries like this is to put 'browser()' in the
function just before or after the line of interest. The magnitude and direction
of my stupidity usually become clear quickly.
   -- Patrick Burns
      R-help (February 2006)

Use browser() to inspect the environment and execute the code one step
at a time.
Liviu
2. I am using the Eclipse plugin (StatET), and tried JGR(). Is there an IDE
that enables breakpoints?
3. Is there an equivalent to "include" in other programming languages? So
many functions in one file are very messy. I would like to break it to
several files.
4. Any way to create a "local" context of variables inside a function?
Otherwise I have to be careful to give different names inside functions, to
those in the workspace.

I should point that I am a long time Matlab user and am probably expecting
some things that don't necessarily exist in R...

I know it's a lot, if there is a more appropriate forum to ask these, please
point me in that direction.

Thanks,
Eran.

*

*

? ? ? ?[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

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and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

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Also check out the 'debug' package
Wow, thanks Justin and Liviu,

DebugOnce and browser. great!

Eran

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 5:34 PM, Justin Haynes <jtor14 at gmail.com> wrote:

Another great tool is debugonce()

wrap your function name in it and then execute your function call.

debugonce(my.function)

out<-my.function(df)

And you'll be brought into the same interactive browser. (its Vi if im not
mistaken which can take a little getting used to.)

Justin

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 7:29 AM, Liviu Andronic <landronimirc at gmail.com>wrote:

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 4:20 PM, Eran Eidinger <eran at taykey.com> wrote:
Hi,

I am not sure if this is the right list to ask this question (though I
did
not find a more appropriate one).
I've started using R a month ago, and small scripts work fine. However,
when
I start writing more complex code, it gets messy.

1. Is there any way to debug "normally", with breakpoints?

fortune('browser')
My solution when I run into mysteries like this is to put 'browser()' in
the
function just before or after the line of interest. The magnitude and
direction
of my stupidity usually become clear quickly.
? -- Patrick Burns
? ? ?R-help (February 2006)

Use browser() to inspect the environment and execute the code one step
at a time.
Liviu

2. I am using the Eclipse plugin (StatET), and tried JGR(). Is there an
IDE
that enables breakpoints?
3. Is there an equivalent to "include" in other programming languages?
So
many functions in one file are very messy. I would like to break it to
several files.
4. Any way to create a "local" context of variables inside a function?
Otherwise I have to be careful to give different names inside functions,
to
those in the workspace.

I should point that I am a long time Matlab user and am probably
expecting
some things that don't necessarily exist in R...

I know it's a lot, if there is a more appropriate forum to ask these,
please
point me in that direction.

Thanks,
Eran.

*

*

? ? ? ?[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

______________________________________________
R-help at r-project.org mailing list
https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

--
Do you know how to read?
http://www.alienetworks.com/srtest.cfm
http://goodies.xfce.org/projects/applications/xfce4-dict#speed-reader
Do you know how to write?
http://garbl.home.comcast.net/~garbl/stylemanual/e.htm#e-mail

______________________________________________
R-help at r-project.org mailing list
https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

? ? ? ?[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

______________________________________________
R-help at r-project.org mailing list
https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

Jim Holtman
Data Munger Guru

What is the problem that you are trying to solve?
Hi,

I am not sure if this is the right list to ask this question (though I did
not find a more appropriate one).
I've started using R a month ago, and small scripts work fine. However, when
I start writing more complex code, it gets messy.

1. Is there any way to debug "normally", with breakpoints?
The trace() function does that.  setBreakpoint() is a front end for it. 
  One current limitation is that it only allows one breakpoint per 
function; that may change soon.
2. I am using the Eclipse plugin (StatET), and tried JGR(). Is there an IDE
that enables breakpoints?
3. Is there an equivalent to "include" in other programming languages? So
many functions in one file are very messy. I would like to break it to
several files.
Write a package.  It is much easier than it looks at first.  Start with 
package.skeleton, and follow the instructions from there.
4. Any way to create a "local" context of variables inside a function?
Otherwise I have to be careful to give different names inside functions, to
those in the workspace.
Functions always have a local context for writing.  There's no simple 
way to create a local context for reading.

Duncan Murdoch
I should point that I am a long time Matlab user and am probably expecting
some things that don't necessarily exist in R...

I know it's a lot, if there is a more appropriate forum to ask these, please
point me in that direction.

Thanks,
Eran.

*

*

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

______________________________________________
R-help at r-project.org mailing list
https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
See also the debug function, which allows you to walk through a 
function line by line.

       I also concur with Duncan's recommendation to try the R package 
system.  I'm an author of one of two contributed documents available 
from CRAN -> Documentation:  Contributed -> "Creating R Packages".  When 
I started writing R packages, I felt it tripled my software development 
productivity overnight by making it easier to find bugs and keep track 
of what I had done -- not to mention making it much easier to share my 
work with others.

       Hope this helps.
       Spencer
On 11-08-24 10:20 AM, Eran Eidinger wrote:
Hi,

I am not sure if this is the right list to ask this question (though
I did
not find a more appropriate one).
I've started using R a month ago, and small scripts work fine.
However, when
I start writing more complex code, it gets messy.

1. Is there any way to debug "normally", with breakpoints?
The trace() function does that.  setBreakpoint() is a front end for
it.  One current limitation is that it only allows one breakpoint per
function; that may change soon.

2. I am using the Eclipse plugin (StatET), and tried JGR(). Is there
an IDE
that enables breakpoints?
3. Is there an equivalent to "include" in other programming
languages? So
many functions in one file are very messy. I would like to break it to
several files.
Write a package.  It is much easier than it looks at first.  Start
with package.skeleton, and follow the instructions from there.

4. Any way to create a "local" context of variables inside a function?
Otherwise I have to be careful to give different names inside
functions, to
those in the workspace.
Functions always have a local context for writing.  There's no simple
way to create a local context for reading.

Duncan Murdoch

I should point that I am a long time Matlab user and am probably
expecting
some things that don't necessarily exist in R...

I know it's a lot, if there is a more appropriate forum to ask these,
please
point me in that direction.

Thanks,
Eran.

*

*

    [[alternative HTML version deleted]]

______________________________________________
R-help at r-project.org mailing list
https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San Jos?, CA 95126
ph:  408-655-4567
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