posit-dev / posit-dev/positron

Sometimes complex values don't print in the R Console the first time

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area: console bug lang: r support
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

System details:

Positron and OS details:

Positron Version: 2025.07.0 (user setup) build 204
Code - OSS Version: 1.100.3
Commit: 03ae7a5393c776bb24c23d2aa6a6bfbba90cbc5e
Date: 2025-06-30T16:48:57.049Z
Electron: 34.5.1
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.19.0
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045

Session details:

R 4.5.1

Describe the issue:

Values don't print in the R Console the first time.

Steps to reproduce the issue:

  1. Create a value, such as contents.
  2. Type contents in the R console and press Enter.
  3. After getting a blank line, I type contents again and the R console prints what's inside contents on the second try.

(Same behavior for turns)

Screenshot of R Console:

Image

Expected or desired behavior:

Print the values in the R console on the first try.

Were there any error messages in the UI, Output panel, or Developer Tools console?

This behavior is erratic, but happens often enough that it's noticeable.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the issue in the R Console using a complex value such as contents or turns, then inspect the console entry point and its output handling. Compare the first and second evaluations and verify that the value prints on the first submission without errors.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
r
Domain
developer-experience
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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