\HeaderA{methods-package}{Formal Methods and Classes}{methods.Rdash.package}
\keyword{package}{methods-package}
\keyword{methods}{methods-package}
\begin{Description}\relax
Formally defined methods and classes for R objects, plus
other programming tools, as described in the references.
\end{Description}
\begin{Details}\relax
This package provides the \sQuote{S4} or \sQuote{S version 4} 
approach to methods and classes in a functional language.

See the documentation entries \code{\LinkA{Classes}{Classes}},
\code{\LinkA{Methods}{Methods}}, and \code{\LinkA{GenericFunctions}{GenericFunctions}} for general discussion of these topics, at a
fairly technical level.  Links from those pages, and the
documentation of \code{\LinkA{setClass}{setClass}} and \code{\LinkA{setMethod}{setMethod}}
cover the main programming tools needed.

For a complete
list of functions and classes, use \code{library(help="methods")}.
\end{Details}
\begin{Author}\relax
R Development Core Team

Maintainer: R Core Team \email{R-core@r-project.org}
\end{Author}
\begin{References}\relax
Chambers, John M. (2008)
\emph{Software for Data Analysis: Programming with R}
Springer.  (For the R version.)

Chambers, John M. (1998)
\emph{Programming with Data}
Springer (For the original S4 version.)
\end{References}

