[R] On Reproducible Code

[John Kane]

I'd vote for that!  
It would probably bug the blazes out of experienced users but the time savings in getting a newbie to actually supply enough information so that someone can, at least, try to answer the question would be well worth it.

John Kane
Kingston ON Canada


> -----Original Message-----
> From: gunter.berton at gene.com
> Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 07:49:28 -0700
> To: jrkrideau at inbox.com
> Subject: Re: [R] On Reproducible Code
> 
> I agree and would like to see it placed at the **TOP** of every post.
> 
> -- Bert
> 
> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 7:11 AM, John Kane <jrkrideau at inbox.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: jim at bitwrit.com.au
>>> Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:21:36 +1000
>>> To: dcarlson at tamu.edu
>>> Subject: Re: [R] On Reproducible Code
>>> 
>>> On 07/26/2012 01:50 AM, David L Carlson wrote:
>>>> We often refer requesters to the Posting Guide and chide them for not
>>>> reading it.
>>> >...
>>>> I hesitate to sound too optimistic, but there might be some advantage
>>>> in
>>>> making the statement more prominent and adding a reproducible example
>>>> using
>>>> dput().
>>>> 
>>> The reponses to some requests for help do seem to get a volley of the
>>> "reproducible code" answers. Some, such as:
>>> 
>>> I can't get the answer. PLEASE HELP!!!
>>> 
>>> probably deserve it, but others appear to emerge from the overheated
>>> brain of the frustrated noob. With a wonderfully informative name like
>>> "dput", it is rather challenging to guess that this function is the way
>>> to calm the affronted guru with an example of your problem. I am
>>> particularly amused by the phrase "reproducible code", which sounds
>>> perilously close to the definition of a virus. Perhaps the neglected
>>> little message at the bottom of each email (which seems to reproduce
>>> itself) might be easier for the uninitiated to understand if it read:
>>> 
>>> Please include the R code that is causing the problem _and_ enough data
>>> (see the "dput" function) for someone else to run the code and get the
>>> same problem.
>>> 
>>> I can remember when I didn't know that there was a "dput" function.
>>> 
>>> Jim
>> I can remember spending a lot of time constructing a data set to post
>> before someone mentioned ?dput.  Ah, yes, I still have a couple of
>> generic ones archived.
>> 
>> I think your wording above makes a lot of sense.
>> 
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>> ______________________________________________
>> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Bert Gunter
> Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
> 
> Internal Contact Info:
> Phone: 467-7374
> Website:
> http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm

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