SSCC - Social Science Computing Cooperative Supporting Statistical Analysis for Research

1.5 Console Basics

The basics of using the console are as follows.

  • > is the command prompt. R will not display the command prompt until it has completed running the prior command. If the prompt is not displayed, R is not ready for a new command.

  • + is the prompt for the continuation of a command. If R reaches the end of a line and the current R command is not complete, R assumes the next line continues the prior line. Splitting some commands across multiple lines can improve the readability of you source code by allowing the structure of the command or data to be seen visually.

  • The escape key will end a command. This is handy if R thinks the current command is not finished and you see an error in what has already been entered.

  • The page up and page down keys are used to scroll through the history of prior commands. A prior command can be recalled from the history, edited if needed, and then run again.