[R] Rprofile.site and automatic installation of missing packages

[PIKAL Petr]

Thanks Duncan

I expected some silly mistake on my side.

Just for completeness, I finally tested .Rprofile file with the code and it 
worked. So now the question is whether to use your suggestion or .Rprofile 
file way. I tend to use Rprofile.site way as it enables experienced users to 
modify their .Rprofile to get customised way how to start R.

Best regards
Petr

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Duncan Murdoch <murdoch.duncan using gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 1:55 PM
> To: PIKAL Petr <petr.pikal using precheza.cz>; r-help <r-help using r-project.org>
> Subject: Re: [R] Rprofile.site and automatic installation of missing 
> packages
>
> ?Startup says:  "Note that when the site and user profile files are sourced 
> only
> the base package is loaded, so objects in other packages need to be referred 
> to
> by e.g. utils::dump.frames or after explicitly loading the package 
> concerned."
>
> So you need utils::installed.packages and utils::install.packages .
>
> Duncan Murdoch
>
> On 21/03/2023 8:04 a.m., PIKAL Petr wrote:
> > Dear all.
> >
> >
> >
> > I am trying to install missing (not installed) packages during startup
> > of R through code in Rprofile.site but I miserably failed and I am not
> > sure what I am doing wrong.
> >
> >
> >
> > R is installed to C:Program files but it is not writable for the
> > users, therefore I cannot change Rprofile.site located in root etc
> > directory. I however can put Rprofile.site in users home directory
> > (Documents) and use it for R startup setting (partly).
> >
> > However I want for less experienced users to put a code here to check
> > installed packages, check if some specified set of packages is
> > installed and install them, but it is not working.
> >
> >
> >
> > The code in Rprofile.site is:
> >
> >
> >
> > #**********
> >
> > test <- scan("pack.txt", character(), quote = "")
> >
> > inst <- installed.packages()
> >
> > install.packages(test[!test %in% inst],
> > repos="https://cloud.r-project.org")
> >
> > #**********
> >
> >
> >
> > An example of pack.txt is e.g.
> >
> > ggplot2
> >
> > zoo
> >
> >
> >
> > but the code is not executed and packages are not installed. If I use
> > this code after R starts, everything is OK and packages are installed
> > to
> >
> >
> >
> >> Sys.getenv("R_LIBS_USER")
> >
> > [1] "C:\\Users\\PikalP\\AppData\\Local/R/win-library/4.2"
> >
> >>
> >
> > The same applies if I put e.g. library(MASS) in the Rprofile.site, the
> > package is not loaded but after R is live, library(MASS) loads a package.
> >
> >
> >
> > So my question is What is the best way to check after fresh R
> > installation if some predefined set of packages is installed and if
> > not, perform an installation without user intervention in Windows
> environment?
> >
> >
> >
> > S pozdravem | Best Regards
> >
> > Petr
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________
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