[R] Warnings with no INDEX file in a package.

[Henrik Bengtsson]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-admin at stat.math.ethz.ch 
> [mailto:r-help-admin at stat.math.ethz.ch] On Behalf Of David 
> Kane <David Kane
> Sent: den 10 januari 2003 08:01
> To: r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch
> Subject: [R] Warnings with no INDEX file in a package.
> 
> 
> In previous versions of R (at least in 1.5.1, I think), my 
> practice was not to include an INDEX file in the package. R 
> CMD check did not complain and an INDEX was created for me 
> when I use R CMD build.
> 
> At least, this is how I remember it. I thought that this was 
> a good way to behave since it ensured that my INDEX was 
> automatically kept up to date by R, without me having to 
> worry about what functions I had added to the package. I can 
> understand why other people might want to maintain an INDEX 
> themselves (mainly because it allows one to avoid listing 
> functions that aren't that interesting and/or are meant for 
> internal use by the package only).

Just a comment: To make a function "private/hidden" in the table of
contents pages, but still existing, add "\keyword{internal}" to the Rd
file. From Writing R Extensions:

"The special keyword internal marks a page of internal objects that are
not part of the packages' API. If the help page for object foo has
keyword internal, then help(foo) gives this help page, but foo is
excluded from several object indices, like the alphabetical list of
objects in the HTML help system."

Using this is much better than doing something like \title{Internal
function}. Note that "\keyword{internal}" functions will still show up
in the INDEX file, but most people tend to look at the HTML ToC
(00Index.html) by running help.start() and there it will be excluded.

> In 1.6.1, however, runing R CMD check on a package with no 
> INDEX gives me:
> 
> * checking index files ... WARNING
> The following index files are missing or have zero length:
>   INDEX
> See the information on INDEX files and package subdirectories 
> in section 'Creating R packages' of the 'Writing R Extensions' manual.
> * checking R files for syntax errors ... OK
> 
> I have read the suggested sections of the manual. It would 
> seem to me that I should be able to continue to follow my 
> prior practice by turning off the warning for missing INDEX. 
> Certainly, the fact that R CMD build creates an INDEX for you 
> if one is not present would suggest that this is an 
> acceptable practice.
> 
> Or am I missing something? I just hate to ignore a warning 
> each time I build a package . . .
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dave Kane
> 
> > R.version
>          _                   
> platform sparc-sun-solaris2.6
> arch     sparc               
> os       solaris2.6          
> system   sparc, solaris2.6   
> status                       
> major    1                   
> minor    6.1                 
> year     2002                
> month    11                  
> day      01                  
> language R                   
> > 
> 
> -- 
> David Kane
> Geode Capital Management
> 617-563-0122
> david.d.kane at fmr.com
> Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
> See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
> 
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