Syntax and Runtime Errors

The most common syntax errors will be lack of matching parentheses, brackets, braces, or quotation marks. When you encounter a syntax error, this is the first thing you should check and double-check. I highly recommend that you use a text editor that does parentheses matching and syntax coloring for R, such as Vim or Emacs.

Be aware that often when you get a message saying there is a syntax error on a certain line, the error may actually be in a much earlier line. This can occur with any language, but R seems especially prone to it.

If it just isn’t obvious to you where your syntax error is, I recommend selectively commenting out some of your code, better enabling you to pinpoint the location of the syntax problem. Generally, ...

Get The Art of R Programming now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.