[Bioc-devel] How to declare optional system requirement for package

[Hervé Pagès]

Hi Alex,

On 11/28/23 22:47, Alex Wong via Bioc-devel wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I am the author of SpliceWiz. My package contains several wrapper functions
> that run the STAR aligner on systems where it is installed. If STAR is not
> found, these functions do nothing other than return a helpful message that
> says STAR is not available. The vast majority of the functions in the
> package does not depend on STAR, thus STAR is a highly optional requirement
> for my package.
>
> What is the best way to convey this in the DESCRIPTION file? Is it
> acceptable to add the following line?
>
>> SystemRequirements: STAR (optional)

That works but it's hard to know what functionality is lost by not 
having STAR on the machine.

Would it make sense to put all the STAR-related stuff in their own 
package and have SpliceWiz suggest that package?

STAR would now be a hard requirement for the package that contains the 
STAR-related stuff.

This kind of separation might help with maintenance and quality control. 
It might also help making things less confusing for the end user.

Best,

H.

> Kind Regards,
>
> Alex
>
-- 
Hervé Pagès

Bioconductor Core Team
hpages.on.github using gmail.com

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