diff --git a/litorgy/litorgy-R.el b/litorgy/litorgy-R.el
index fa5173e52..4eb316a42 100644
--- a/litorgy/litorgy-R.el
+++ b/litorgy/litorgy-R.el
@@ -33,6 +33,23 @@
 
 (litorgy-add-interpreter "R")
 
+(defvar litorgy-R-var-name "litorgy_R_variable")
+
+(defvar litorgy-R-var-as-table
+  "write.org.table <- function (x, write.rownames = TRUE) 
+{
+    if(!is.null(dim(x)) && length(dim(x)) > 2)
+        stop(\"Object must be 1- or 2-dimensional\") ;
+    if(is.vector(x) || is.table(x) || is.factor(x) || is.array(x)) 
+        x <- as.matrix(x) ;
+    if(!(is.matrix(x) || inherits(x, c('matrix', 'data.frame')))) {
+       invisible() ;
+       print(x) ;
+       stop(\"Object not recognised as 1- or 2-dimensional\") ;
+    } ;
+    x
+}")
+
 (defun litorgy-execute:R (body params)
   "Execute a block of R code with litorgy.  This function is
 called by `litorgy-execute-src-block'."
@@ -48,6 +65,28 @@ called by `litorgy-execute-src-block'."
       (litorgy-R-initiate-R-buffer)
       (litorgy-R-command-to-string body))))
 
+(defun litorgy-R-table-or-scalar (var-name)
+  "Determine whether the variable in `litorgy-R-buffer' named
+VAR-NAME has any associated dimensions.  If it does have
+dimensions then return it as a list, otherwise just read it as a
+single variable."
+  (if (litorgy-R-multidimensional-p var-name)
+      (litorgy-R-vecotr-to-elisp-list var-name)
+    (read result)))
+
+(defun litorgy-R-multidimensional-p (var-name)
+  "Return t if the variable named VAR-NAME in `litorgy-R-buffer'
+is multidimensional."
+  
+  )
+
+(defun litorgy-R-vector-to-elisp-list (var-name)
+  "Assumes that var-name is multidimensional in which case it
+then converts it's value into an Emacs-lisp list which is
+returned."
+  
+  )
+
 ;; functions for evaluation of R code
 (defvar litorgy-R-buffer nil
   "Holds the buffer for the current R process")
diff --git a/rorg.org b/rorg.org
index 38d57dc19..329217ab4 100644
--- a/rorg.org
+++ b/rorg.org
@@ -31,6 +31,27 @@ options (maybe more)
 This is now implemented see the example in the [[* silent evaluation][sandbox]]
 
 ** TODO insert 2-D R results as tables
+everything is working but R and shell
+
+*** TODO shells
+
+*** TODO R
+
+This has already been tackled by Dan in [[file:existing_tools/org-R.el::defconst%20org%20R%20write%20org%20table%20def][org-R:check-dimensions]].  The
+functions there should be useful in combination with [[http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-data.html#Export-to-text-files][R-export-to-csv]]
+as a means of converting multidimensional R objects to emacs lisp.
+
+It may be as simple as first checking if the data is multidimensional,
+and then, if so using =write= to write the data out to a temporary
+file from which emacs can read the data in using =org-table-import=.
+
+Looking into this further, is seems that there is no such thing as a
+scalar in R [[http://tolstoy.newcastle.edu.au/R/help/03a/3733.html][R-scalar-vs-vector]].  In that light I am not sure how to
+deal with trivial vectors (scalars) in R.  I'm tempted to just treat
+them as vectors, but then that would lead to a proliferation of
+trivial 1-cell tables...
+
+
 ** TODO allow variable initialization from source blocks
 Currently it is possible to initialize a variable from an org-mode
 table with a block argument like =table=sandbox= (note that the