[R-pkgs] devtools 0.6

[Hadley Wickham]

# devtools

The aim of `devtools` is to make your life as a package developer
easier by providing R functions that simplify many common tasks.
Devtools is opinionated about how to do package development, and
requires that you use `roxygen2` for documentation and `testthat` for
testing. Future version will relax these opinions - patches are
welcome! You can track (and contribute to) development of `devtools`
at https://github.com/hadley/devtools.

For discussion related to package development with devtools see the
[rdevtools](http://groups.google.com/group/rdevtools) mailing list.

devtools 0.6
------------

NEW FEATURES

* `test` function takes `filter` argument which allows you to restrict which
  tests are to be run

* `check` runs with example timings, as is done on CRAN. Run with new param
  `cleanup = F` to access the timings.

* `missing_s3` function to help figure out if you've forgotten to export any
  s3 methods

* `check_cran` downloads and checks a CRAN package - this is useful to run as
  part of the testing process of your package if you want to check the
  dependencies of your package

* `strict` mode for `run_examples` which runs each example in a clean
  environment. This is much slower than the default (running in the current
  environment), but ensures that each example works standalone.

* `dev_mode` now updates prompt to indicate that it's active (Thanks to Kohske
  Takahashi)

* new `source_url` function for sourcing script on a remote server via
  protocols other than http (e.g. https or ftp). (Thanks to Kohske Takahashi)

* new `source_gist` function to source R code stored in a github gist. (Thanks
  to Kohske Takahashi)

* `load_all` now also loads all package dependencies (including suggestions) -
  this works around some bugs in the way that devtools attaches the
  development environment into the search path in a way that fails to recreate
  what happens normally during package loading.

INSTALLATION

* remote installation will ensure the configure file is executable.

* all external package installation functions are vectorised so you can
  install multiple packages at time

* new `install_gitorious` function install packages in gitorious repos.

* new `install_url` function for installing package from an arbitrary url

* include `install_version` function from Jeremy Stephens for installing a
  specific version of a CRAN package from the archive.

BETTER WINDOWS BEHAVIOUR

* better check for OS type (thanks to Brian Ripley)

* better default paths for 64-bit R on windows (Fixes #35)

* check to see if Rtools is already available before trying to mess with the
  paths. (Fixes #55)

BUG FIXES

* if an error occurs when calling loading R files, the cache will be
  automatically cleared so that all files are loaded again next time you try
  (Fixes #55)

* functions that run R now do so with `R_LIBS` set to the current
  `.libPaths()` - this will ensure that checking uses the development library
  if you are in development mode. `R_ENVIRON_USER` is set to an empty file to
  avoid your existing settings overriding this.

* `load_data` (called by `load_all`) will also load data defined in R files in
  the data directory. (Fixes #45)

* `dev_mode` performs some basic tests to make sure you're not setting your
  development library to a directory that's not already an R library. (Fixes
  #25)


-- 
Assistant Professor / Dobelman Family Junior Chair
Department of Statistics / Rice University
http://had.co.nz/