org-mode/rorg.org

#+TITLE: rorg --- R and org-mode

Please feel free to change the layout of this file, I'm just putting
this here to get things started.

* Objectives
** Import data into R from org
   Org-mode includes orgtbl-mode, an extremely convenient way of using
   tabular data in a plain text file.  Currently, spreadsheet
   functionality is available in org tables using the emacs package
   calc.  It would be a boon both to org users and R users to allow
   org tables to be manipulated with the R programming language.  Org
   tables give R users an easy way to enter and display data; R gives
   org users a powerful way to perform vector operations, statistical
   tests, and visualization on their tables.

*** Implementations
**** naive
     Naive implementation would be to use =(org-export-table "tmp.csv")=
     and =(ess-exec "read.csv('tmp.csv')")=.  
**** org-R
     [[file:existing_tools/org-R.el::defun%20org%20R%20export%20to%20csv%20csv%20file%20options][org-R-export-to-csv]]
**** org-exp-blocks
**** RweaveOrg
     NA

** evaluate R code and make the output available for processing in an org buffer
** evaluate R code and format the output for export

* Notes
** Special editing and evaluation of source code in R blocks
   Unfortunately org-mode how two different block types, both useful.
   In developing RweaveOrg, a third was introduced.

   Eric is leaning towards using the =#+begin_src= blocks, as that is
   really what these blocks contain is source code.  Austin believes
   that specifying export options at the beginning of a block is
   useful functionality, to be preserved if possible.

   Note that upper and lower case are not relevant in block headings.

*** Source code blocks 
    Org has an extremely useful method of editing source code and
    examples in their native modes.  In the case of R code, we want to
    be able to use the full functionality of ESS mode, including
    interactive evaluation of code.

    Source code blocks look like the following and allow for the
    special editing of code inside of the block through
    `org-edit-special'.

#+BEGIN_SRC r

,## hit C-c ' within this block to enter a temporary buffer in r-mode.

,## while in the temporary buffer, hit C-c C-c on this comment to
,## evaluate this block
a <- 3
a

,## hit C-c ' to exit the temporary buffer
#+END_SRC     

*** dblocks
    dblocks are useful because org-mode will automatically call
    `org-dblock-write:dblock-type' where dblock-type is the string
    following the =#+BEGIN:= portion of the line.

    dblocks look like the following and allow for evaluation of the
    code inside of the block by calling =\C-c\C-c= on the header of
    the block.  

#+BEGIN: dblock-type
#+END:

*** R blocks
    In developing RweaveOrg, Austin created [[file:existing_tools/RweaveOrg/org-sweave.el][org-sweave.el]].  This
    allows for the kind of blocks shown in [[file:existing_tools/RweaveOrg/testing.Rorg][testing.Rorg]].  These blocks
    have the advantage of accepting options to the Sweave preprocessor
    following the #+BEGIN_R declaration.


* tasks

* buffer dictionary
 LocalWords:  DBlocks dblocks