[R-pkg-devel] NOTE in r-devel-linux-x86_64-fedora-clang

[Jeff Newmiller]

The whole point of the Suggests package relationship is that you don't actually have to have it installed to use the package. It does have to be installed to check the package, which allows the link to be tested at least once before being released.

On August 7, 2020 8:02:47 AM PDT, "Brian G. Peterson" <brian using braverock.com> wrote:
>
>On Fri, 2020-08-07 at 15:46 +0100, Gábor Csárdi wrote:
>> If you want to link to a package in the documentation, you'll have to
>> add it to Suggests.
>
>This doesn't make any sense.  If you don't use the code from that
>package anywhere, then a cross-reference to that package should not
>require the extra dependency in Suggests.  
>
>Cross references should be able to point to other functionality that
>might be useful to the user, or might add extra depth of understanding
>to a concept.  If the user doesn't have the package installed, no
>worries, it is just a cross reference.
>
>The requirement you are suggesting is also not discussed in Writing R
>Extensions:
>
>https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-patched/R-exts.html#Cross_002dreferences
>
>In fact, it explicitly allows links to potentially uninstalled
>packages.
>
>Regards,
>
>Brian
>
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-- 
Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.