R: Invoke a Text Editor

edit {utils} | R Documentation

## Invoke a Text Editor

### Description

Invoke a text editor on an R object.

### Usage

    ## Default S3 method:
    edit(name = NULL, file = "", title = NULL,
         editor = getOption("editor"), ...)

    vi(name = NULL, file = "")
    emacs(name = NULL, file = "")
    pico(name = NULL, file = "")
    xemacs(name = NULL, file = "")
    xedit(name = NULL, file = "")

### Arguments

`name` | a named object that you want to edit. If name is missing then the file specified by `file` is opened for editing.
`file` | a string naming the file to write the edited version to.
`title` | a display name for the object being edited.
`editor` | usually a string naming the text editor you want to use. On Unix the default is set from the environment variables EDITOR or VISUAL if either is set, otherwise `vi` is used. On Windows it defaults to `"internal"`, the script editor. On the macOS GUI the argument is ignored and the document editor is always used. `editor` can also be a function, in which case it is called with the arguments `name`, `file`, and `title`. Note that such a function will need to independently implement all desired functionality.
`...` | further arguments to be passed to or from methods.

### Details

`edit` invokes the text editor specified by `editor` with the object `name` to be edited. It is a generic function, currently with a default method and one for data frames and matrices.

`data.entry` can be used to edit data, and is used by `edit` to edit matrices and data frames on systems for which `data.entry` is available.

It is important to realize that `edit` does not change the object called `name`. Instead, a copy of name is made and it is that copy which is changed. Should you want the changes to apply to the object `name` you must assign the result of `edit` to `name`. (Try `fix` if you want to make permanent changes to an object.)

In the form `edit(name)`, `edit` deparses `name` into a temporary file and invokes the editor `editor` on this file. Quitting from the editor causes `file` to be parsed and that value returned. Should an error occur in parsing, possibly due to incorrect syntax, no value is returned. Calling `edit()`, with no arguments, will result in the temporary file being reopened for further editing.

Note that deparsing is not perfect, and the object recreated after editing can differ in subtle ways from that deparsed: see `dput` and `.deparseOpts`. (The deparse options used are the same as the defaults for `dump`.) Editing a function will preserve its environment. See `edit.data.frame` for further changes that can occur when editing a data frame or matrix.

Currently only the internal editor in Windows makes use of the `title` option; it displays the given name in the window header.

### Note

The functions `vi`, `emacs`, `pico`, `xemacs`, `xedit` rely on the corresponding editor being available and being on the path. This is system-dependent.

### See Also

`edit.data.frame`, `data.entry`, `fix`.

### Examples

    ## Not run:
    # use xedit on the function mean and assign the changes
    mean <- edit(mean, editor = "xedit")

    # use vi on mean and write the result to file mean.out
    vi(mean, file = "mean.out")

    ## End(Not run)

[Package utils version 3.5.1 Index]