[R-pkg-devel] Suggests with non-CRAN packages

Uwe Ligges ||gge@ @end|ng |rom @t@t|@t|k@tu-dortmund@de
Wed Jan 10 16:43:21 CET 2024



On 10.01.2024 16:29, Josiah Parry wrote:
> Well, I wouldn't say "obviously." It's not quite clear what a "standard" 
> CRAN-like repository looks like unless you have an intimate knowledge of 
> CRAN's structure.

A repository r that works with

install.packages(......., repos=r)

i.e. needs PACKAGES files and sources/binaries in relevant directories 
such as
./src (at least)
and ideally also
./bin/windows/contrib/4.2/
./bin/windows/contrib/4.3/
./bin/windows/contrib/4.4/
and similarly for mac.

Best,
Uwe Ligges




> Regardless, thank you for the feedback! I'll adjust the description file.
> 
> On Wed, Jan 10, 2024 at 10:26 AM Uwe Ligges 
> <ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de 
> <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>     On 10.01.2024 15:35, Josiah Parry wrote:
>      > Thanks, all. As it goes, the package submission failed. The
>     package that
>      > is suggested is available at https://r.esri.com/bin/
>     <https://r.esri.com/bin/>
>      > <https://r.esri.com/bin/ <https://r.esri.com/bin/>> and as such
>     provided `https://r.esri.com <https://r.esri.com>
>      > <https://r.esri.com <https://r.esri.com>>` as the url in
>     `Additional_repositories`.
> 
>     There is no
> 
>     https://r.esri.com/src <https://r.esri.com/src>
> 
>     hence it is obviously not a standard repository.
> 
> 
>      > The request was to remove the additional repositories and provide
>      > instructions for package installation in the Description field. This
>      > package, arcgisbinding, is used in one line of the entire package
>      >
>     https://github.com/R-ArcGIS/arcgisutils/blob/64093dc1a42fa28010cd45bb6ae8b8c57835cb40/R/arc-auth.R#L123 <https://github.com/R-ArcGIS/arcgisutils/blob/64093dc1a42fa28010cd45bb6ae8b8c57835cb40/R/arc-auth.R#L123> <https://github.com/R-ArcGIS/arcgisutils/blob/64093dc1a42fa28010cd45bb6ae8b8c57835cb40/R/arc-auth.R#L123 <https://github.com/R-ArcGIS/arcgisutils/blob/64093dc1a42fa28010cd45bb6ae8b8c57835cb40/R/arc-auth.R#L123>> to extract an authorization token. It is provided for compatibility with a semi-closed-source R package. The installation instructions for which are....lengthy (https://r.esri.com/r-bridge-site/arcgisbinding/installing-arcgisbinding.html <https://r.esri.com/r-bridge-site/arcgisbinding/installing-arcgisbinding.html> <https://r.esri.com/r-bridge-site/arcgisbinding/installing-arcgisbinding.html <https://r.esri.com/r-bridge-site/arcgisbinding/installing-arcgisbinding.html>>) and /only /available as a windows binary. Providing an explicit call out for installation in the "Description" field of the DESCRIPTION feels like it is co-opting the Description to describe the installation process for a function that I anticipate /very few /people to use.
> 
>     So you can either remove the need for that package or say something
>     like
>     ".... and if an authorization token is to be extracted on Windows, the
>     'arcgisbinding' package is needed that can be installed as explained at
>     <https://r.esri.com <https://r.esri.com>>."
> 
>     Best,
>     Uwe Ligges
> 
> 
> 
>      >
>      > Is there another approach that can be taken here? The one requested
>      > feels like an incorrect use of the description field because it no
>      > longer describes the package but how to handle one very rare edge
>     case.
>      >
>      > On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 12:36 PM Uwe Ligges
>      > <ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de
>     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>
>      > <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de
>     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>>> wrote:
>      >
>      >       From the CRAN polcies:
>      >
>      >     "Packages on which a CRAN package depends should be available
>     from a
>      >     mainstream repository: if any mentioned in ‘Suggests’ or
>     ‘Enhances’
>      >     fields are not from such a repository, where to obtain them at a
>      >     repository should be specified in an
>     ‘Additional_repositories’ field of
>      >     the DESCRIPTION file (as a comma-separated list of repository
>     URLs) or
>      >     for other means of access, described in the ‘Description’
>     field. "
>      >
>      >     Best,
>      >     Uwe Ligges
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      >     On 03.01.2024 18:19, Josiah Parry wrote:
>      >      > Thanks, both. I'm not familiar with
>     Additional_repositories. Must
>      >     the
>      >      > package source be specified there? Or can it be specified via
>      >      > documentation a la Rd file?
>      >      >
>      >      > On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 12:14 PM Uwe Ligges
>      >      > <ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de
>     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>
>      >     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de
>     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>>
>      >      > <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de
>     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>
>      >     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de
>     <mailto:ligges using statistik.tu-dortmund.de>>>> wrote:
>      >      >
>      >      >
>      >      >
>      >      >     On 03.01.2024 17:58, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
>      >      >      > On 03/01/2024 11:33 a.m., Josiah Parry wrote:
>      >      >      >> I have a scenario where I have an exported
>     function that
>      >      >     requires the
>      >      >      >> installation a package that *is not* available on
>     CRAN.
>      >     The body
>      >      >     of the
>      >      >      >> function is generally:
>      >      >      >>
>      >      >      >> fx <- function() {
>      >      >      >>    rlang::check_installed("noncranpkg")
>      >      >      >>    noncranpkg::gx()
>      >      >      >> }
>      >      >      >>
>      >      >      >> As required, this package is in the Suggests
>     field. But this
>      >      >     results in a
>      >      >      >> note:
>      >      >      >>
>      >      >      >> checking package dependencies ... NOTE
>      >      >      >> Package suggested but not available for checking:
>      >     ‘noncranpkg’
>      >      >      >>
>      >      >      >> Can this be safely ignored?
>      >      >      >
>      >      >      > Uwe said yes, and he's an authority.  But for your
>     users, it
>      >      >     might be
>      >      >      > nice to include an Additional_repositories field so
>     they
>      >     can find
>      >      >     the
>      >      >      > package.  This needs to be organized as an actual
>      >     repository; the
>      >      >     drat
>      >      >      > package is a very convenient way to set one up.
>      >      >
>      >      >     Thanks for elaborating, yes of course, people have to
>     declare
>      >     where to
>      >      >     get the package from. The note from above is still
>     unavoidable in
>      >      >     that case.
>      >      >
>      >      >     Best,
>      >      >     Uwe
>      >      >
>      >      >      >
>      >      >      > Duncan Murdoch
>      >      >      >
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