RKWard 0.7.3

Thursday, 21 April 2022

A new release, RKWard 0.7.3, is available for download, today. This release brings support for the new R graphics features, a rework of RKWard output files, an integrated dialog to ask about all changed files at once on exit, and many other small improvments all over the place.

As usual, we're looking forward to your feedback suggestions, and contributions!

Note: The RKWard 0.7.3 sources are compatible with a wide range of R releases, including (but not limited to) R 4.1.x and R 4.2.x. However, an RKWard binary compiled against R 4.1.x is not going to work with R 4.2.x, and vice versa. Windows and MacOS binaries are provided in two different variants, accordingly. Linux users upgrading to R 4.2.0, please contact your distribution maintainers, if needed.

The changes in detail:

  • New features and improvements
    • Add option to show standardized coefficients for linear regression
    • Add setting to allow hiding R Console scrollbar minimap
    • "Spontaneous" output, such as from running examples in the enhanced help system in R 4.2.0, is shown in the R Console
    • Support for switching color schemes, including basic support for dark mode
    • Space-saving placement of main window status bar, and display more tips in it
    • Implement R 4.2 graphics functions: stroked and filled paths, groups, lumincance masks
    • Implement R 4.1 graphics functions: gradients, patterns, clip paths, masks
    • Add icons to settings dialog for quick visual orientation
    • Merge ktexteditor (script) settings into the main settings dialog
    • Internal: Code cleanup around settings, and in many other places
    • On exit, ask for saving all unsaved modified files at once
    • Output file handling has been reworked, entirely
    • rkwardtests library gains helper functions for checking for expected errors
    • Internal: Allow R-level calls to support both subcommands, and a return value at the same time
    • Hide or remove several purely internal functions (most can still be assessed from the rkward namespace as rkward:::xyz())
    • Use top alignment button to close (warning) messages in preview windows/areas
    • (Try to) automatically create custom R library locations, if they do not exist
    • kate plugin related actions are now active whenever a script window is active (not only the corresponding tool window)
  • Bug fixes
    • Fixed: Possible backend hang when closing a data editor before it was done fetching its data
    • Fixed: Crash when installing packages from within check installation dialog
    • Fixed: Spurious string I18N_ARGUMENT_MISMATCH in several plugins
    • Fixed: Accordeon control (used in "Recode categorical data") never expanded
    • Fix compilation with the upcoming R 4.2.0
    • Fix crash in dev.capture()
    • Fix plot window not showing when created attached
    • Fixed: Intial graphics window size would be (mostly) ignored
    • Fix some buglets around closing on-screen devices
    • Fixed: Cursor navigation in completion list
    • Fixed: Calling (rk.)select.list() without a title would fail
    • Workaround for invalid EDITOR variable set by Kate Terminal plugin (also fixed in recent kate)
    • Fixed: Crash when attempting to use new graphics features in R 4.1.0 (esp. plotting using ggplot2)