rp$sys and pdf view in Window 7

[fedenolasco]

Brilliant package which I am trying to use in Window 7 environment.
Code sample round the issue based on your package documentation, it's about the rp$sys function

library("repo")

openPDF <- function(f) {
  os <- .Platform$OS.type
  if (os=="windows")
    shell.exec(normalizePath(f))
  else {
    pdf <- getOption("pdfviewer", default='')
    if (nchar(pdf)==0)
      stop("The 'pdfviewer' option is not set. Use options(pdfviewer=...)")
    system2(pdf, args=c(f))
  }
}

path<-'C:/Users/nolascofx/Documents/repo'

rp_path <- file.path(path, "example_repo")
rp <- repo_open(rp_path, TRUE)
## Not run:
## Creating a PDF file with a figure.
pdf("afigure.pdf")
## Drawing a random plot in the figure
plot(runif(100), runif(100))
dev.off()
## Attaching the PDF file to the repo
rp$attach("afigure.pdf", "A plot of random numbers", "repo_sys")
## don't need the PDF file anymore
file.remove("afigure.pdf")
## Opening the stored PDF with Evince document viewer
rp$sys("afigure.pdf", "evince")

R version is:
Windows 7
platform x86_64-w64-mingw32
arch x86_64
os mingw32
system x86_64, mingw32
status
major 3
minor 4.3
year 2017
month 11
day 30
svn rev 73796
language R
version.string R version 3.4.3 (2017-11-30)
nickname Kite-Eating Tree

Repo package is:
repo 2.1.2

Rstudio is:
1.1.414

PDF Preview in RStudio is
I want to use "Sumatra" pdf which is pre-configured in RStudio and available on path
C:/Program Files/RStudio/bin/sumatra/SumatraPDF.exe

ISSUE
How do I manage to change "evince" Linux-based PDF to "sumatra"?

Opening the stored PDF with Evince document viewer

rp$sys("afigure.pdf", "evince")

Thank you, Fede

[fedenolasco]

The pdf file in question is located in repo : "C:\Users\nolascofx\Documents\repo\example_repo/kq/9g/6d/kq9g6dj0i0dor65iymejezwq"
Usually I call shell.exec as in above function openPDF to open the default pdf editor based on file extension. Here I guess the function rp$sys takes care of normalizing the path and opening the file with specified pdfviewer. I am not familiar with rp$sys process. Did youy test this in Windows OS?

[franapoli]

Hi Fede,
The sys command is a simple shortcut to the system command of R: it just calls it passing your command and the position of the file on the disk. Here "evince" is not a function, but a shell command. If you pass "SumatraPDF.exe", it should be correctly used to open the file (if the command is in the system search path).

If you want a more complex management of the file types, than you could write an executable script (for example a .bat file) implementing your openPDF and then pass it to sys.

Hope that helps.