R devel - Jun 2011 - Data package questions

In process of creating data package from an existing one.
The current package has both raw data files and the associated
RData objects created from them. Currently, the data subdirectory
is 1.5Mb and the extdata is 5.4Mb.

Never having created a data package before, how is this best
done? Should the data package contain only the raw data, or
the RData objects too (tightly coupled)? If the later, what
(if anything) is added to the DESCRIPTION meta-information
to denote the dependency? Should both packages suggest each
other?

Dear Paul,
> In process of creating data package from an existing one.
> The current package has both raw data files and the associated
> RData objects created from them. Currently, the data subdirectory
> is 1.5Mb and the extdata is 5.4Mb.
>
> Never having created a data package before, how is this best
> done? Should the data package contain only the raw data, or
> the RData objects too (tightly coupled)? If the later, what
> (if anything) is added to the DESCRIPTION meta-information
> to denote the dependency? Should both packages suggest each
> other?
I have one data set that I ship as a few principal components and 
reconstruct it by a function. The result is then assigned to the 
exported variable by delayedAssign.

That way, you'd need to ship the raw data only, but can provide a 
ready-to-use R object as well.

For my example data, I don't ship the raw data as it is too big (30 MB 
toy example is really unpolite on CRAN), but I provide it at r-forge and 
give the link on the help page and in the vignette.

Claudia

-- 
Claudia Beleites
Spectroscopy/Imaging
Institute of Photonic Technology
Albert-Einstein-Str. 9
07745 Jena
Germany

email: claudia.beleites at ipht-jena.de
phone: +49 3641 206-133
fax:   +49 2641 206-399