[Rd] [External] Re: Is ALTREP "non-API"?

[Ivan Krylov]

On Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:31:39 -0500 (CDT)
luke-tierney--- via R-devel <r-devel using r-project.org> wrote:

> We would be better off (in my view, not necessarily shared by others
> in R-core) if we could get to a point where:
> 
>      all entry points listed in installed header files can be used in
>      packages, at least with some caveats;
> 
>      the caveats are expressed in a standard way that is searchable,
>      e.g. with a standardized comment syntax at the header file or
>      individual declaration level.

This sounds almost like Doxygen, although the exact syntax used to
denote the entry points and the necessary comments is far from the most
important detail at this point.

> There are some 500 entry points in the R shared library that are in
> the installed headers but not mentioned in WRE. These would need to
> be reviewed and adjusted.

Is there a way for outsiders to help? For example, would it help to
produce the linking graph (package P links to entry points X, Y)? I
understand that an entry point being unpopular doesn't mean it
shouldn't be public (and the other way around), but combined with a
list of entry points that are listed in WRE, such a graph could be
useful to direct effort or estimate impact from interface changes.

-- 
Best regards,
Ivan