Vim and R
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Ubuntu Linux
This guide has been updated for Hardy Heron (8.04)
Installing R and vim-r-plugin
Install R with the following command:
sudo apt-get install r-base
Then download the newest vim-r-plugin package from http://www.uft.uni-bremen.de/chemie/ranke/debs/sid-jr/vim-r-plugin_0.5-79_all.deb with the following command:
wget http://www.uft.uni-bremen.de/chemie/ranke/debs/sid-jr/vim-r-plugin_0.5-79_all.deb
We'll now use the gdebi GUI to install the package because it will install the dependencies for us
gdebi-gtk vim-r-plugin_0.5-79_all.deb
Then use the new vim-addon-manager utility to add the plugin to vim
sudo vim-addons -w install r-plugin
Using Vim and R
First, open vim as you normally would. Then, run the vim command 'set ft=r'. This will tell vim you're working on a R file. If you're using the .vimrc file provided on the Vim and R page then this will be done automatically for you whenever you open a *.r file. Now, press the F2 key. This will open an instance of R in a separate window that you can now interact with. After typing a series of R commands in vim you can run all of them in R by pressing the F5 key, or you can just run a few lines of the file by highlighting the lines you want in Visual mode and pressing the r key.
Issues
- If you're getting the following error, "**Error in X11() : could not find any X11 fonts**", then you need to change the font paths in the "Files" section of your xorg.conf file from ".../X11/fonts/..." to ".../fonts/X11/..."
- The vim-r plugin brings R up in an xterm console. To copy/paste, highlight the text you want from R, then click the middle mouse button to paste.
A version of this page is available on Appalachian State University's Association of Computing Machinery wiki.
