[Rd] Where to drop a python script?

[Prof Brian Ripley]

On 31/10/2013 15:33, Paul Gilbert wrote:
>
>
> On 13-10-31 03:01 AM, Prof Brian Ripley wrote:
>> On 31/10/2013 00:40, Paul Gilbert wrote:
>>> The old convention was that it went in the exec/ directory, but as you
>>> can see at
>>> http://cran.at.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-devel/R-exts.html#Non_002dR-scripts-in-packages
>>>
>>>
>>>   it can be in inst/anyName/. A minor convenience of exec/ is that the
>>> directory has the same name in source and when installed, whereas
>>> inst/anyName gets moved to anyName/, so debugging can be a tiny bit
>>> easier with exec/.
>>>
>>> Having just put a package (TSjson) on CRAN with a python script, here
>>> are a few other pointers for getting it on CRAN:
>>>
>>> -SystemRequirements: should indicate if a particular version of python
>>> is needed, and any non-default modules that are needed. (My package does
>>> not work with Python 3 because some modules are not available.) Some of
>>> the libraries have changed, so it could be a bit tricky to make
>>> something work easily with both 2 and 3.
>>>
>>> -You need a README to explain how to install Python. (If you look at or
>>> use mine, please let me know if you find problems.)
>>
>> Better to describe exactly what you need: installation instructions go
>> stale very easily.
>>
>>> -The Linux and Sun CRAN test machines have Python 2 whereas winbuilder
>>> has Python 3. Be prepared to explain that the package will not work on
>>> one or the other.
>>
>> Not true.  Linux and Solaris (sic) have both: the Solaris machines have
>> 2.6 and 3.3.
>
> For an R package how does one go about specifying which should be used?

You ask the user to tell you the path or at least the command name, e.g. 
by an environment variable or R function argument.  Just like any other 
external program such as GhostScript.

>
>> Please do not spread misinformation about machines you do
>> not have any access to.
>>
>>>
>>> Another option to system() is pipe()
>>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>> On 13-10-30 03:15 PM, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 30 October 2013 at 13:54, Jonathan Greenberg wrote:
>>>> | R-developers:
>>>> |
>>>> | I have a small python script that I'd like to include in an R
>>>> package I'm
>>>> | developing, but I'm a bit unclear about which subfolder it should go
>>>> in.  R
>>>> | will be calling the script via a system() call.  Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> Up to you as you control the path. As "Writing R Extensions" explains,
>>>> everything below the (source) directory inst/ will get installed.  I
>>>> like
>>>> inst/extScripts/ (or similar) as it denotes that it is an external
>>>> script.
>>>>
>>>> As an example, the gdata package has Perl code for xls reading/writing
>>>> below a
>>>> directory inst/perl/ -- and I think there are more packages doing this.
>>>>
>>>> Dirk
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________
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>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>
>>


-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595