[R-pkg-devel] R CMD build with configure-args

[Russell Almond]

The behavior changed somewhere along the line.  I think it is related to 
the version bump from 3.1 to 3.2, but it could have been earlier.

It used to be when I wanted to release a version of my package I would run:

INSTALL
check
build
INSTALL --build (on each of a Windows and Mac box).

to create source and binary tarballs.

I was never quite sure if I needed the check syntax or the INSTALL 
syntax for build.  Somewhere along the line it stopped working.  I'm not 
sure exactly when, because I was working around by creating the source 
tarball on the Windows box where I was using an environmental variable 
instead of the command line arg.

I suspect that what must have happened is that previously build did not 
try to recompile the package (or used my source directory where the 
binaries where already in place).  Now it does, so it would probably be 
useful to add the --install-args switch.

	--Russell


On 07/30/2015 04:08 PM, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
> On 30/07/2015 2:53 PM, Russell Almond wrote:
>>
>> I've got a package that uses C code to link R to a third-party library.
>>
>> I've set up my configure script to take an argument --with-netica
>> which passes the location of the library, header files, &c.
>>
>> So I can install the package using:
>>
>>     $ R CMD INSTALL RNetica
>> --configure-args='--with-netica=/home/ralmond/software/Netica_API_504/'
>>
>> and check the packge (build the manual) using:
>>
>>     $ R CMD check RNetica
>> --install-args="--configure-args='--with-netica=/home/ralmond/software/Netica_API_504/'"
>>
>> My problem comes when I want to build a source tarball for
>> distribution.  I used to use:
>>
>>     $ R CMD build RNetica
>> --install-args="--configure-args='--with-netica=/home/ralmond/software/Netica_API_504/'"
>
> When you say "used to use", when was that?  There was no --install-args
> option in R 3.0.  I think there should be, and I can add it, but I'd
> like to know if it was removed for a reason.
>
> Duncan Murdoch
>
>>
>> but that generates an error:
>>
>>     gcc -std=gnu99 -I/usr/share/R/include -DNDEBUG     -I. -I/src -fpic
>> -g -O2 -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -Wformat
>> -Werror=format-security -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -g  -c Cases.c -o Cases.o
>>     In file included from Cases.c:18:0:
>>     ./RNetica.h:4:20: fatal error: Netica.h: No such file or directory
>>      #include <Netica.h>
>>                         ^
>>
>> basically, it the Includes directory is not getting set correctly.  If
>> I use the same syntax as the INSTALL (i.e., just configure-args and
>> not the install-args wrapper) I get the same error message.  R CMD
>> INSTALL --build creates a binary tarball and not a source.
>>
>> I think used to work correctly under R 3.1.  Did I miss something in
>> the release notes?
>>
>> I'm having this problem under Ubuntu 14.4 (I think I'm also having the
>> problem on Mac OS X; I'm not having the problem under Windows, but
>> mostly because I'm using an environmental variable instead of a
>> command line argument to pass the location of the 3rd party library.)
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any help.
>>
>

-- 
Russell Almond
Associate Professor, Measurement & Statistics
Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
1114 W. Call St.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306
(850) 644-5203
ralmond at fsu.edu
http://ralmond.net/