R devel - Feb 2012 - Version control (git, mercurial) for R packages

Hi all, in particular package developers,

I'm exploring using a version control system to keep better track of
changes to the packages I maintain. I'm leaning towards git (although
mercurial also looks good) but am not sure what is the best way to set
up the repository. It seems I can't set the repository directly within
the R package main directory, since it will be incompatible with the
standard package structure. I can set the repository in the directory
that contains my R packages, but then I have a single repository for
all of my packages, which is not ideal.

Of course, I could add one extra layer of directory structure (for
example, if a package foo sit in directory RPackages/foo I could move
it to directory RPackages/foo/foo and set the repository in
RPackages/foo) but this seems roundabout and inelegant...

I'd be grateful for any suggestions/pointers.

Thanks,

Peter

Peter Langfelder Thu Feb 9 00:01:31 CET 2012
> I'm exploring using a version control system
+1! welcome to the new millenium :-)
> to keep better track of changes to the [R] packages I maintain. I'm
> leaning towards git
I like 'git' too, but one thing to consider (though keep in mind that
I'm new to R, so I Could Be Wrong): R-forge

https://r-forge.r-project.org/

seems to be the "canonical" place to put R packages, and it's svn.
That can be finessed, e.g.,

http://cameron.bracken.bz/git-with-r-forge

FWIW, Tom Roche <Tom_Roche at pobox.com>

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On 09/02/12 00:01, Peter Langfelder wrote:
> Hi all, in particular package developers,
> 
> I'm exploring using a version control system to keep better track
> of changes to the packages I maintain. I'm leaning towards git
> (although mercurial also looks good) but am not sure what is the
> best way to set up the repository. It seems I can't set the
> repository directly within the R package main directory, since it
> will be incompatible with the standard package structure. I can set
> the repository in the directory that contains my R packages, but
> then I have a single repository for all of my packages, which is
> not ideal.
Git is nice - but if you ar looking for simplicity in usage for R
packages, I guess r-forge and rforge are the easiest to use.

But I would be interested in the workflow when using github as the
main VCS.
> 
> Of course, I could add one extra layer of directory structure (for 
> example, if a package foo sit in directory RPackages/foo I could
> move it to directory RPackages/foo/foo and set the repository in 
> RPackages/foo) but this seems roundabout and inelegant...
> 
> I'd be grateful for any suggestions/pointers.
I might be missing something here, but I am using r-forge
(http://r-forge.r-project.org/) for exactly that. There is also rforge
(http://www.rforge.net/) and some packages are on github.


My folder looks as follow:

- -local name for the package (selected folders / fiiles under VC)
  +--pkg (under VC)
  +--www (under VC)
  +--other fiolders (not under VC)

If a project gets registered at r-forge, you can check it out and you
have all the relevant info in a README file - don't know about rforge.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Rainer
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Peter
> 
> ______________________________________________ R-help at r-project.org
> mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do
> read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html 
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

- -- 
Rainer M. Krug, PhD (Conservation Ecology, SUN), MSc (Conservation
Biology, UCT), Dipl. Phys. (Germany)

Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology
Stellenbosch University
South Africa

Tel :       +33 - (0)9 53 10 27 44
Cell:       +33 - (0)6 85 62 59 98
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Skype:      RMkrug
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On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:46 AM, Gregory Jefferis <jefferis at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Dear Peter,
>
> Trying to respond to your original question
Thanks for staying on thread :)
>
>
> I have a git repositiory in the root of my packages:
>
> ie
>
> package-foo/.git
> package-foo/R
> package-foo/inst
>
> Running make check in place warns about the presence of binary files, but
> that is the only problem I have found ? have you come across another
> problem.
Same warning here. Which made me think that R CMD build will probably
tar up the git repository along with the package, which is not
something I would like to do, and which CRAN people most likely won't
tolerate in a package on CRAN.

 I have also switched to using Hadley Wickham's devtools (+
roxygen
> for docs). Both highly recommended. devtools can build a package and check
> it in a temporary location ? this is safer than checking in place and
avoids
> that warning.
I'll check that out.
>
> You can see layouts for Hadley's packages on github e.g. :
>
> https://github.com/hadley/devtools
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Greg.
Thanks for the suggestions. It occurred to me that I can write a short
script that will copy the package minus the git repository into a
temporary location and check or build it there, but I'll look into
devtools as well.

Peter