[R-pkg-devel] How to handle deprecated package dependency? 2 suggestions 1 question

[Mark van der Loo]

Dear Vincent,

I think this is little known, but you can get the CRAN result status of any
package from R, see tools::CRAN_check_results().

Best,
Mark


Op ma 25 jun. 2018 om 22:13 schreef Duncan Murdoch <murdoch.duncan using gmail.com
>:

> On 25/06/2018 3:21 PM, Vincent van Hees wrote:
> > Dear all,
> >
> > One of my package dependencies was taken from CRAN a month ago, with
> > the CRAN message: "...check problems were not corrected despite
> > reminders" as displayed on the deprecated CRAN package page. I
> > immediately got in touch with the deprecated package maintainer and
> > learnt that he is trying to resolve the issue(s).
> >
> > My suggestions/questions:
> >
> > 1 - Would it be an idea for CRAN to inform reverse dependency package
> > maintainers when a package is at risk of being taken from CRAN? For
> > example, by cc-ing them in the warning message? I think such a
> > heads-up could have helped to prevent the situation.
> >
> > 2 - At the moment the CRAN page for the deprecated package does not
> > tell me what I can do to help fix the issue:
> >
> > "Package ‘GENEAread’ was removed from the CRAN repository.
> > Formerly available versions can be obtained from the archive.
> > Archived on 2018-05-25 as check problems were not corrected despite
> reminders >
> > Would it be an idea to display what those problems were to make it
> > easier for others, like me, to help fix the issue(s)?
>
> I don't know if it will remain indefinitely, but the CRAN check page for
> that package is still available, containing MacOS results:
>
> https://cran.r-project.org/web/checks/check_results_GENEAread.html
>
> It looks as though the required changes are quite trivial:  using
> requireNamespace instead of require() or library(), and declaring
> imports from base packages.
>
> >
> > 3 - Can you advise on how I can help address the situation, such that
> > I can upload a much needed update to my own CRAN package GGIR? The
> > approaches I can think of are: (A) Help the deprecated package
> > maintainer to fix their issues, which may not be easy, (B) copy the
> > old code of the deprecated package and create an entirely new but
> > fixed CRAN package from it myself stripped to only the functionality I
> > need, which is not ideal of course, or (C) Kindly ask CRAN to put the
> > deprecated package back online for a couple of months while we look
> > out for a better solution?
>
> Given how easy the fixes are, I'd go with (A).
>
> Duncan Murdoch
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Vincent
> >
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> > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel
> >
>
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