help.start {utils} | R Documentation

## Hypertext Documentation

### Description

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

### Usage

    help.start(update = TRUE, gui = "irrelevant",
               browser = getOption("browser"))

### 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.
`update` | logical: should this attempt to update the indices to reflect the currently installed packages.

### Details

The Windows file association mechanism is used to send the HTML file to a browser, launching one if necessary.

Unlike Unix systems, running `help.start` does not send all future help requests to the browser: use `options(htmlhelp=TRUE)` to set that.

Alternatively, a specific browser can be started if `browser` is specified, but `help` will still use the file association mechanism.

`help.start` and the Java-based search engine have been tested under Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 7.1, Opera 7.54, Mozilla 1.6/1.7 and MozillaFirefox 0.8/0.9/1.0. Users of IE6 under Windows XP SP2 will probably need to allow `active content' from the ‘information bar’ before the search engine can be used.

### 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.

### 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()
    help.start(browser="C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\IEXPLORE.EXE")
    help.start(browser="C:/Program Files/Netscape/Netscape/netscp.exe")
    help.start(browser="C:/Program Files/Opera/Opera.exe")
    help.start(browser="C:/Program Files/mozilla.org/Mozilla/mozilla.exe")
    help.start(browser="C:/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/firefox.exe")
    ## End(Not run)

[Package utils version 2.3.1 Index]