

   help {base}                                  R Documentation

   DDooccuummeennttaattiioonn

   DDeessccrriippttiioonn::

        These functions provide access to documentation.  Docu-
        mentation on a topic with name `name' (typically, an R
        object or a data set) can be printed with either
        `help(name)' or `?name'.

   UUssaaggee::

        help(topic, offline = FALSE, package = c(.packages(), .Autoloaded),
             lib.loc = .lib.loc, verbose = .Options$verbose,
             htmlhelp = .Options$htmlhelp)
        ?topic

   AArrgguummeennttss::

      topic: a name or character string on which documentation
             is sought (but not a variable containing a charac-
             ter string!).

    offline: a logical indicating whether documentation should
             be displayed on-line to the screen (the default)
             or hardcopy of it should be produced.

    package: a name or character vector giving the packages to
             look into for documentation.  By default, all
             packages in the search path are used.

    lib.loc: A character vector of directory names of R
             libraries.  Defaults to all libraries currently
             known.

    verbose: logical; if `TRUE', the file name is reported.

   htmlhelp: logical (or `NULL').  If `TRUE' (which is the
             default after `help.start' has been called), the
             HTML version of the help will be shown in a
             browser.

   DDeettaaiillss::

        In the case of unary and binary operators and control-
        flow special forms, the name may need to be quoted.

        If `offline' is `TRUE', hardcopy of the documentation
        is produced by running the LaTeX version of the help
        page through `latex' (note that LaTeX 2e is needed) and
        `dvips'.  Depending on your `dvips' configuration,
        hardcopy will be sent to the printer or saved in a
        file.  If the programs are in non-standard locations
        and hence were not found at compile time, you can
        either set the options `latexcmd' and `dvipscmd', or
        the environment variables `R_LATEXCMD' and `R_DVIPSCMD'
        appropriately.  The appearance of the output can be
        customized through a file `Rhelp.cfg' somewhere in your
        LaTeX search path.

   NNoottee::

        Currently, you only get help for R objects in your
        `search()' path, i.e., `help(dist)' will only work
        after `library(mva)'.  This is bound to be changed in
        the future.

        The help files can be many small files. On some file
        systems it is desirable to save space, and the text
        files in the `help' directory of an installed package
        can be zipped up as a zip archive `Rhelp.zip'. Ensure
        the files `AnIndex' and `00Titles' remain un-zipped.
        Similarly, all the files in the `latex' directory can
        be zipped to `Rhelp.zip'.

   SSeeee AAllssoo::

        `help.search()' for finding help pages on a `vague'
        topic.  `help.start()' which opens the HTML version of
        the R Manual; `library()' for listing available pack-
        ages and the user-level objects they contain; `data()'
        for listing available data sets; `methods()'.

        See `prompt()' to get a prototype for writing `help'
        pages of private packages.

   EExxaammpplleess::

        help()
        help(help)          # the same

        help(lapply)
        ?lapply             # the same

        help("for")         # or ?"for", but the quotes are needed
        ?"+"

        help(package = stepfun)  # get help even when it's not present

        data()              # list all available data sets
        ?women              # information about data set "women"

        topi <- "women"
        help(topi) ##--> Error: No documentation for `topi'

