R: Hypertext Documentation

help.start {utils} | R Documentation

## Hypertext Documentation

### Description

Start the hypertext (currently HTML) version of R's online documentation.

### Usage

    help.start(gui = "irrelevant", browser = getOption("browser"),
               remote = NULL, searchEngine = FALSE)

### Arguments

`gui` | just for compatibility with S-PLUS.
`browser` | the name of the program to be used as hypertext browser. It should be in the PATH, or a full path specified. Alternatively, it can be a function which will be called with an URL as its only argument.
`remote` | A character giving a valid URL for the ‘R_HOME’ directory on a remote location.
`searchEngine` | logical: if true go directly to the search engine page. A workaround for Firefox 3 users (see ‘Notes’).

### Details

All the packages in the known library trees are linked to directory ‘.R’ in the per-session temporary directory. The links are re-made each time `make.packages.html` or `help.start` is run, which should be done after packages are installed, updated or removed.

A side effect is to set `options(htmlhelp = TRUE)` so that future help requests (by default) are sent to the browser.

If the browser named by the `browser` argument is different from the default browser as specified by `options("browser")`, the default is changed to the given browser so that it gets used for all future help requests. (This only holds when `browser` is a name, not a function.)

### Note

There is a Java-based search facility available from the HTML page that `help.start` brings up. Should this not work, please consult the ‘R Installation and Administration’ manual which is linked from that page.

Note to users of Firefox 3: the search results have links that are resolved incorrectly by that browser if starting from the normal HTML index page. The workaround is to start with `help.start(searchEngine = TRUE)`

### See Also

`help()` for on- and off-line help in ASCII/Editor or PostScript format.

`browseURL` for how the help file is displayed.

`RSiteSearch` to access an on-line search of R resources.

### Examples

    ## Not run:
    help.start()
    ## End(Not run)

[Package utils version 2.8.1 Index]