\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 \dQuote{S4} or  \dQuote{S version 4} 
approach to methods and classes in a functional language.

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
The R package \pkg{methods} implements, with a few exceptions, the
programming interface for classes and methods in the book
\emph{Programming with Data} (John M. Chambers, Springer, 1998), in
particular sections 1.6, 2.7, 2.8, and chapters 7 and 8.

While the programming interface for the methods package follows the
reference, the R software is an original implementation, so details in
the reference that reflect the S4 implementation may appear
differently in R.  Also, there are extensions to the programming
interface developed more recently than the reference.  For a
discussion of details see \code{?\LinkA{Methods}{Methods}}
and the links from that documentation.
\end{References}

