[R] package.contents() deprecated, what replaces it?

[Prof Brian Ripley]

package.contents("gstat") is really ugly, and not something we would ever
recommend for end users.  E.g. library(help=gstat) has always done a
better job.

The information package.contents regurgitates is itself deprecated, to be 
replaced by metadata (in package subdir Meta) that other tools, e.g. 
library(help=), can format nicely.  Had namespaces be available back then, 
package.contents would never have been user-visible.


On Wed, 28 Jul 2004, David Rossiter wrote:

> Back on 18-June a colleague (Earl Glynn) asked:
> ==================
> I did a
> 
>     ?package.contents
> 
> in version 1.9.0. The help file says this is deprecated, and says to
> "see also" Deprecated and Defunct, but what is the "new" function that
> replaces packge.contents?
> 
> The function still seems to work, but it's just tagged as deprecated.
> 
> efg  
> ==================
> I have the same question, and also could not find the answer despite
> searching "everywhere". I couldn't find a followup to the question.
> 
> I've written an instruction manual introducing
> R to my institute's students, which includes the suggestion to use this
> command, e.g.
> 
>    For example, to see what's in the geostatistical package
> \texttt{gstat}:
>    \begin{verbatim}
>    > package.contents("gstat")
>     \end{verbatim}
> 
> but now they see an off-putting "deprecated" message. Please advise.
> 
> D G RossiterD G Rossiter
> Senior University Lecturer
> Department of Earth Systems Analysis (DESA)
> International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth
> Observation (ITC)
> Hengelosestraat 99
> PO Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands
> Phone:	+31 (0)53 4874 499
> Fax:	+31 (0)53 4874 336
> mailto:rossiter at itc.nl,  Internet: http://www.itc.nl/personal/rossiter
> 
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> 

-- 
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