setTimeLimit Set CPU and/or Elapsed Time Limits

Description

Functions to set CPU and/or elapsed time limits for top-level computations or the current session.

Usage

setTimeLimit(cpu = Inf, elapsed = Inf, transient = FALSE)

setSessionTimeLimit(cpu = Inf, elapsed = Inf)

Arguments

cpu, elapsed	double (of length one). Set a limit on the total or elapsed cpu time in seconds, respectively.
transient	logical. If TRUE, the limits apply only to the rest of the current computation.

Details

setTimeLimit sets limits which apply to each top-level computation, that is a command line (including any continuation lines) entered at the console or from a file. If it is called from within a computation the limits apply to the rest of the computation and (unless transient = TRUE) to subsequent top-level computations.

setSessionTimeLimit sets limits for the rest of the session. Once a session limit is reached it is reset to Inf.

Setting any limit has a small overhead – well under 1% on the systems measured.

Time limits are checked whenever a user interrupt could occur. This will happen frequently in R code and during Sys.sleep, but only at points in compiled C and Fortran code identified by the code author.

‘Total cpu time’ includes that used by child processes where the latter is reported.