\name{showConnections}
\alias{showConnections}
\alias{getConnection}
\alias{getAllConnections}
\alias{closeAllConnections}
\alias{stdin}
\alias{stdout}
\alias{stderr}
\title{Display Connections}
\description{
  Display aspects of connections.
}
\usage{
showConnections(all = FALSE)
getConnection(what)
closeAllConnections()

stdin()
stdout()
stderr()
}
\arguments{
  \item{all}{logical: if true all connections, including closed ones
    and the standard ones are displayed. If false only open user-created
    connections are included.}

  \item{what}{integer: a row number of the table given by
    \code{showConnections}.}
}
\details{
  \code{stdin()}, \code{stdout()} and \code{stderr()} are standard
  connections corresponding to input, output and error on the console
  respectively (and not necessarily to file streams).  They are text-mode
  connections of class \code{"terminal"} which cannot be opened or
  closed, and are read-only, write-only and write-only respectively.
  The \code{stdout()} and \code{stderr()} connections can be
  re-directed by \code{\link{sink}}.

  \code{showConnections} returns a matrix of information.  If a
  connection object has been lost or forgotten, \code{getConnection}
  will take a row number from the table and return a connection object
  for that connection, which can be used to close the connection,
  for example.

  \code{closeAllConnections} closes (and destroys) all open user
  connections, restoring all \code{\link{sink}} diversions as it does so.
}
\value{
  \code{stdin()}, \code{stdout()} and \code{stderr()} return connection
  objects.

  \code{showConnections} returns a character matrix of information with
  a row for each connection, by default only for open non-standard connections.

  \code{getConnection} returns a connection object, or \code{NULL}.
}
\seealso{\code{\link{connections}}}

\examples{
showConnections(all = TRUE)

textConnection(letters)
# oops, I forgot to record that one
showConnections()
#  class     description      mode text   isopen   can read can write
#3 "letters" "textConnection" "r"  "text" "opened" "yes"    "no"     
\dontrun{close(getConnection(3))}
\dontshow{r <- as.numeric(row.names(showConnections()))
close(getConnection(r))}
showConnections()
}
\keyword{connection}