\Header{help.start}{Hypertext Documentation}
\keyword{documentation}{help.start}
\begin{Description}\relax
Start the hypertext (currently HTML) version of \R's online documentation.\end{Description}
\begin{Usage}
\begin{verbatim}
help.start(gui = "irrelevant", browser = getOption("browser"), remote = NULL)
\end{verbatim}
\end{Usage}
\begin{Arguments}
\begin{ldescription}
\item[\code{gui}] just for compatibility with S-PLUS.
\item[\code{browser}] the name of the program to be used as hypertext
browser. It should be in the PATH, or a full path specified.

\item[\code{remote}] A character giving a valid URL for the
\file{\$R\_HOME} directory on a remote location.
\end{ldescription}
\end{Arguments}
\begin{Details}\relax
All the packages in the known library trees are linked to a directory
\code{.R} in the user's home directory.

The \code{browser} needs to work with a \code{"-remote openURL(...)"}
call. Then, the hypertext \R{} help interface is opened in any already
running browser or a new one if necessary.  Browsers that support this
interface include Netscape 4.x, 6.2.x (but not 6.0/1), Opera 5/6 and
Mozilla >= 0.9.5.

If the browser given by the \code{browser} argument is different from
the default browser as specified by \code{options("browser")}, the
default is changed to the given browser so that it gets used for all
future help requests.\end{Details}
\begin{Note}\relax
As a side-effect, the variable \code{"help.start.has.been.run"} in the
environment \code{"package:base"} is set to true.\end{Note}
\begin{SeeAlso}\relax
\code{\Link{help}()} for on- and off-line help in ASCII/Editor or
PostScript format.\end{SeeAlso}
\begin{Examples}
\begin{ExampleCode}
help.start()
\end{ExampleCode}
\end{Examples}

