[Rd] Questions on package creation

[Uwe Ligges]

Witold Eryk Wolski wrote:

> Hi,
> I mentioned --force
> R CMD build --force
> is creating the INDEX file automatically. I use it normally.
> 
> And in my view in your sequence the point 2. is superfluous in your 
> sequence.
> You do not need a build neither before check nor INSTALL.

No. It might be a good idea to build before (at least when you want to 
do the final checks before publishing the package), because some files 
might be excluded from the package during the build process!

Uwe Ligges



> /E
> 
> 
> Gabor Grothendieck wrote:
> 
>> I have some questions about
>>   1. nomenclature,   2. recommended file locations and   3. overall 
>> procedure related to creating packages.
>>
>> To the extent that it matters, examples here relate to Windows XP
>> R 2.0.1 beta. 
>> The questions are interspersed and prefaced with ***.
>>
>> My understanding is that there are actually 6 forms of a package
>> that one should use in package development:
>>
>> 1. original package.  This refers to the original source files,   
>> documentation and other files that the author develops.    If source 
>> control, e.g. svn, is used then these are the files   that are under 
>> source control.  They are kept in some arbitrary   location on one's 
>> disk.  Let us say \usr\mypackage, for example.
>>
>> *** Is there some standard name for this form of the package?
>>
>> 2. source archive.  This is created from the original package
>>   like this:
>>
>>     cd \Program Files\rw2001beta
>>     bin\R CMD build /usr/mypackage
>>
>>   which creates, say
>>
>>     \Program Files\rw2001beta\mypackage_1.0-1.tar.gz
>>
>>   The source archive is distinct from the original archive since it
>>   is specific to a version of R and excludes the files referenced
>>   in \usr\mypackage\.Rbuildignore
>>
>> *** Is \Program Files\rw2001beta the correct place to put this
>>   .tar.gz file?
>>
>> 3. source tree.  This is created from the gzipped tar archive in #2
>>   like this:
>>
>>     cd \Program Files\rw2001beta
>>     gzip -d mypackage_1.0-1.tar.gz
>>     cd src\library
>>     tar xvf ..\..\mypackage_1.0-1.tar
>>
>>   and is checked like this:
>>
>>     cd \Program Files\rw2001beta
>>     bin\R CMD check mypackage
>>
>> 4. binary archive.  This is created from the source archive in #2
>>   or the source tree in #3:
>>
>>      cd \Program Files\rw2001beta
>>      bin\R CMD build mypackage --binary
>>      which creates \Program Files\rw2001beta\myhpackage_1.0-1.zip
>>
>> *** Is \Program Files\rw2001beta the correct place to put this?
>>
>> 5. installed package.  This installed by:
>>
>>     cd \Program Files\rw2001beta
>>     bin\R CMD install mypackage
>>
>>  which results in the source package being installed in:
>>  
>>     \Program Files\rw2001beta\library\mypackage
>>
>>  This can alternately be done with the R GUI menu:
>>    Packages | Install package(s) from local zip files
>>
>> 6. loaded package.  In R using the command:
>>
>>     library(mypackage)
>>
>>   loads the package into R.  This can alternately be done
>>   using the R GUI menu:
>>
>>      Packages | Load package
>>
>> One might initially skip #3 and #4 and just test the package out
>> in R after #6 and once one is satisfied that it is in good shape
>> repeat the sequence.
>>
>> *** Is all the above the correct and recommended sequence?
>>
>> *** Someone mentioned that --force is important.  How does that    fit 
>> into all this?  I still have not used it and am not sure
>>    about it.
>>
>> ______________________________________________
>> R-devel at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>
>>  
>>
> 
>