devtools

Most devtools functions accept a path as an argument (e.g., load_all("path/to/mypkg")). If no path is specified, the function looks in the current working directory, which is the recommended practice.

Common tasks include:

• load_all(): Simulates installing and reloading your package. It loads R code in R/, compiled shared objects in src/, and data files in data/. It makes all functions available, including un-exported internal ones.
• document(): Updates generated documentation in man/, file collation, and the NAMESPACE file.
• test(): Reloads your code using load_all() and then runs all testthat tests.
• test_coverage(): Runs test coverage on your package using the covr package to identify untested code parts.

# Example usage in a package directory
load_all()
document()
test()
test_coverage()

You can install the stable version of devtools from CRAN or the development version from GitHub using pak.

# Install devtools from CRAN
install.packages("devtools")

# Or the development version from GitHub:
# install.packages("pak")
pak::pak("r-lib/devtools")

When re-building vignettes fails during a package check, common causes include:

1. Missing Dependencies: An error like <error/rlib_error_package_not_found> often indicates that a package required by a function (e.g., remotes required by devtools::install_git()) is not installed in the environment.
2. Environment Variables: Some packages (like those using pak) may require specific environment variables to be set during the check process. For example, if you see an error regarding get_user_cache_dir(), ensure the R_USER_CACHE_DIR environment variable is correctly configured.

Example error for missing dependency:

Error in `devtools::install_git()`:
! The package "remotes" is required.

If you receive a warning about missing links in Rd files, it means a cross-reference to a function or package is broken. This typically looks like:

Missing link(s) in Rd file 'filename.Rd':
  ‘[package:namespace]{package::function}’

Refer to the 'Writing R Extensions' manual section on 'Cross-references' to fix these links.

Failures in checking tests or checking examples can stem from several issues:

1. Test Logic Failures: Standard testthat failures where expected values do not match actual values (e.g., Expected nrow(plan) to equal nrow(mat2)).
2. Example Execution Errors: Errors occurring within the Examples section of a package documentation, often due to missing setup steps or environment mismatches.
3. Subprocess Errors: Errors occurring within dependencies or subprocesses (like pak) that bubble up to the main test suite.

Use these functions to manage package installation and building:

• install(): Reinstalls the package, detaches the currently loaded version, and reloads the new version with library().
• build(): Builds a package file (e.g., a binary version) from package sources.
• update_packages(): Updates packages to their latest versions (works for CRAN and other installation sources).

Specific installation functions:

• install_github(): From GitHub
• install_gitlab(): From GitLab
• install_bitbucket(): From Bitbucket
• install_url(): From an arbitrary URL
• install_git(): From an arbitrary git repository
• install_svn(): From an arbitrary SVN repository
• install_local(): From a local file on disk
• install_version(): From a specific version on CRAN

Functions for verifying package integrity and preparing for CRAN submission:

• check(): Updates documentation, then builds and checks the package locally.
• check_win_release(), check_win_devel(), and check_mac_release(): Checks a package using win-builder or macbuilder.
• release() and submit_cran(): Handle the mechanics of CRAN submission, with or without (re)-running local checks.

If you encounter issues with a package during reverse dependency checks, you can retrieve more detailed diagnostic information using the revdepcheck::cloud_details() function. This is useful for investigating why a package is marked as 'newly broken'.

To get details for a specific package, pass the package name as the second argument to cloud_details().