[R] On Reproducible Code

[Hadley Wickham]

That assumes:

* Everyone reads the mailing list before making the first posting

* Everyone reads every part of every email.

I'd argue that both assumptions are false. People are particular well
trained to skip over boilerplate text at the bottom of emails.

I'd suggest an alternative approach is for experts to remember what
it's like to be a novice, and cultivate an attitude of patience and
tolerance.  That's about as likely to happen as a mass change in
behaviour in new users.

Hadley

On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 9:48 AM, John Kane <jrkrideau at inbox.com> wrote:
> 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
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>>> 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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> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.



-- 
Assistant Professor / Dobelman Family Junior Chair
Department of Statistics / Rice University
http://had.co.nz/