Interesting. I don't know the explanation, but look at this: # works plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(a %->% b)) # doesn't work plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(%->%))
# works plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(paste("something" %->% "else"))) # doesn't work plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(paste("something", %->%, "else"))) The "doesn't work" examples give the same error you report: Error: unexpected SPECIAL in "plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(%->%" And then there's: # doesn't work, as expected plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(paste("something" phi "else"))) # works plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(paste("something", phi, "else"))) # works plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(paste("something" %==% "else"))) # doesn't work plot(1:10, 1:10, xlab=expression(paste("something", %==%, "else"))) So it seems that when using an expression element bracketed by percent signs, the commas in paste cause an error, even though they are otherwise necessary. Hm. This is on a clean R 2.11 session on linux (I know, but that's the latest version in the UNR repository, and I don't use R enough on this netbook to install a non-repo version). I can try again tomorrow on an up-to-date system. Sarah - Hide quoted text - On Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 8:10 PM, Bryan Hanson <han...@depauw.edu> wrote: > Hello R Masters and the Rest of Us: > > The first of these works fine, the 2nd is accepted but too literal (the > "%->%" is shown in the plot label and in the wrong position). The 3rd > throws and error due to "unexpected SPECIAL". Would someone recommend a way > to format this? I want the two phrases connected by a right arrow. > > TIA, these things always elude me. Bryan -- Sarah Goslee http://www.functionaldiversity.org ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.