[R-pkg-devel] [r-package-devel] Win.Metafile and package check - "Found the platform-specific device:"

Sat Nov 4 10:35:52 CET 2023

Update:

I noticed in the ggplot2 codebase they also have a call to win.metafile - see https://github.com/tidyverse/ggplot2/blob/main/R/save.R#L280-L281

When I use grDevices::win.metafile instead of win.metafile it passes the local checks fine.

Wayne

-----Original Message-----
From: Jones, Wayne R GSUK-PTX/D/S
Sent: 04 November 2023 09:03
To: Vladimir Dergachev <volodya using mindspring.com>
Cc: r-package-devel using r-project.org
Subject: RE: [R-pkg-devel] [r-package-devel] Win.Metafile and package check - "Found the platform-specific device:"

Hi Vladimir,

Thanks for the suggestions. I've considered both but I can't see a way of doing what I'm trying to achieve without explicitly adding a call to win.metafile in my code.

To explain a little more...

GWSDAT is a Shiny App so we don't use the traditional R graphics device - so your suggestion #1 is not an option . Instead, the user is offered a range of different plot options in a shiny list box as illustrated here in this windows based example:
https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/61183826/280452267-c4287f8d-73cc-42a3-881a-4643bdb31689.png

The list of options presented to the users in the list box is modified according to the platform - see code here:  https://github.com/WayneGitShell/GWSDAT/blob/master/R/server.R#L117-L118

So anyone using a non-windows platform will never be offered the choice of "wmf"  to begin with. For example, see the online LINUX  version, https://stats-glasgow.shinyapps.io/GWSDATV3-2/.  You will see that this option doesn't exist in the list of choices - see https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/61183826/280453275-6da9b235-0387-47fd-b3a8-b0a949f0ec3e.png

Any suggestions on how I can modify this approach to make it automatically pass the CRAN checks?

Thanks,

Wayne

-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Dergachev <volodya using mindspring.com>
Sent: 03 November 2023 20:03
To: Jones, Wayne R GSUK-PTX/D/S <Wayne.W.Jones using shell.com>
Cc: r-package-devel using r-project.org
Subject: Re: [R-pkg-devel] [r-package-devel] Win.Metafile and package check - "Found the platform-specific device:"

Think Secure. This email is from an external source.

On Fri, 3 Nov 2023, Wayne.W.Jones using shell.com wrote:

> Dear R-Package-Devel,
>
> As part of GWSDAT package (https://github.com/waynegitshell/GWSDAT) we support the option to output plots to a WMF (https://r-graphics.org/recipe-output-vector-wmf) format if, and only if,  the user is on Windows. However, when I run the package checks on here it complains about using a platform specific function with the following message:
>
>  Found the platform-specific device:
>    'win.metafile'
>  dev.new() is the preferred way to open a new device, in the unlikely
> event one is needed.
>
> In my opinion this is a false positive - and a similar issue has
> previously been reported here:
> https://stac/
> koverflow.com%2Fquestions%2F70585796%2Funable-to-understand-1-note-in-
> devtoolscheck-caused-by-a-platform-specific-d&data=05%7C01%7CWayne.W.J
> ones%40shell.com%7C991ba83bef5648af7e8408dbdca7deea%7Cdb1e96a8a3da442a
> 930b235cac24cd5c%7C0%7C0%7C638346385789331058%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8
> eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3
> 000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FLTuWH3yJq0sK%2FePWzv5ga%2FcXQGvHNmQOauw3x5RTXc%3D&
> reserved=0
>
> Any ideas on how I modify the code and package submission to automatically pass the checks?

Two suggestions:

   * let users specify the graphics device they want

   * reading manpage for dev.new() it accepts a bunch of options - there is probably a way to request the metafile device you want. But I could not find that in documentation.

best

Vladimir Dergachev

>
> Thanks,
>
> Wayne
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------------
> Wayne Jones
> Principal Data Scientist
> Decarbonisation Data Science
>
> Tel: +44 (0) 207 934 4330
> Projects and Technology, Shell Research Limited, Shell Centre, York
> Road, London, SE1 7NA
> Email: Wayne.W.Jones using shell.com<mailto:Wayne.W.Jones using shell.com>
> Intranet:
> Shell.ai<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%25
> 2F%2Feu001-sp.shell.com%2Fsites%2FAAFAA6690%2FShell.ai%2Fhomepage.aspx
> &data=05%7C01%7CWayne.W.Jones%40shell.com%7C991ba83bef5648af7e8408dbdc
> a7deea%7Cdb1e96a8a3da442a930b235cac24cd5c%7C0%7C0%7C638346385789331058
> %7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6I
> k1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=z9EBpBRKRttm2r5hJkEol54xSA
> 6hp76CTjZVvahYoso%3D&reserved=0>
> Internet:
> http://www.s/
> hell.ai%2F&data=05%7C01%7CWayne.W.Jones%40shell.com%7C991ba83bef5648af
> 7e8408dbdca7deea%7Cdb1e96a8a3da442a930b235cac24cd5c%7C0%7C0%7C63834638
> 5789331058%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzI
> iLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zaHgal1ZfA5%2B0l
> FhpJoq2FEEJb1d5kQrogu9%2FLQt3Po%3D&reserved=0<https://eur02.safelinks/.
> protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shell.ai%2F&data=05%7C01%
> 7CWayne.W.Jones%40shell.com%7C991ba83bef5648af7e8408dbdca7deea%7Cdb1e9
> 6a8a3da442a930b235cac24cd5c%7C0%7C0%7C638346385789331058%7CUnknown%7CT
> WFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI
> 6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zaHgal1ZfA5%2B0lFhpJoq2FEEJb1d5kQrogu9%2
> FLQt3Po%3D&reserved=0>
>
>
>       [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-package-devel using r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat/
> .ethz.ch%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fr-package-devel&data=05%7C01%7CWayne.W
> .Jones%40shell.com%7C991ba83bef5648af7e8408dbdca7deea%7Cdb1e96a8a3da44
> 2a930b235cac24cd5c%7C0%7C0%7C638346385789487307%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3
> d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7
> C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QNipEDt1FYAnFH0ohACT780ijWX6vPufS9F37Mp8Cxw%3D&re
> served=0
>