R help - Nov 2005 - Problem with installing home-made package under Windoze.

I am using/trying to use R 2.2.0.

I have created a package of ``supplementary'' time series functions
for use by my students in a time series course.  The package involves
only raw R code; no dynamic loading to complicate matters.  I need to
install this package in a location on a local area network where the
students can access it under Windoze.

In the past I learned that I could do this by:

	o installing the package under Linux
	o changing directories to the local library
	o executing

		zip -r9l ts.sup.zip ts.sup

	o uploading the resulting ts.sup.zip file to a convenient
	  Windoze-running machine

	o excuting

	  >
install.packages("ts.sup.zip",repos=NULL,lib="L:/statdata/Rlib")

	the value of the ``lib'' argument being a location in the LAN
	where I have write permission and which is accessible by the
	students.

In the past this worked.  Now when I try this I get the error message

	``Error in .readRDS(pfile) : cannot read workspace version
	  167772160 written by R 512.2.2; need R 0.1.4 or newer''

I experimented with other small locally built packages and got the
same phenomenon.  Then I tried installing a package from CRAN
choosing to install ``aaMI'' just because it was first on the
list.  Got the same error message.

I tried firing up R version 2.1.1, which is still around.  Strangely,
this allowed me to install ``aaMI'' from CRAN, but threw up the same
error message when I tried to install from local zip files.

This is very frustrating --- I'm trying to install an updated package
with some bugs removed and new facilities added.  Can anyone suggest
what might be causing the problem and how I might fix it?

				cheers,

					Rolf Turner
					rolf at math.unb.ca

On Sat, 2005-11-05 at 17:35 -0400, Rolf Turner wrote:
> I am using/trying to use R 2.2.0.
> 
> I have created a package of ``supplementary'' time series functions
> for use by my students in a time series course.  The package involves
> only raw R code; no dynamic loading to complicate matters.  I need to
> install this package in a location on a local area network where the
> students can access it under Windoze.
> 
> In the past I learned that I could do this by:
> 
> 	o installing the package under Linux
> 	o changing directories to the local library
> 	o executing
> 
> 		zip -r9l ts.sup.zip ts.sup
> 
> 	o uploading the resulting ts.sup.zip file to a convenient
> 	  Windoze-running machine
> 
> 	o excuting
> 
> 	  >
install.packages("ts.sup.zip",repos=NULL,lib="L:/statdata/Rlib")
> 
> 	the value of the ``lib'' argument being a location in the LAN
> 	where I have write permission and which is accessible by the
> 	students.
> 
> In the past this worked.  Now when I try this I get the error message
> 
> 	``Error in .readRDS(pfile) : cannot read workspace version
> 	  167772160 written by R 512.2.2; need R 0.1.4 or newer''
> 
> I experimented with other small locally built packages and got the
> same phenomenon.  Then I tried installing a package from CRAN
> choosing to install ``aaMI'' just because it was first on the
> list.  Got the same error message.
> 
> I tried firing up R version 2.1.1, which is still around.  Strangely,
> this allowed me to install ``aaMI'' from CRAN, but threw up the
same
> error message when I tried to install from local zip files.
> 
> This is very frustrating --- I'm trying to install an updated package
> with some bugs removed and new facilities added.  Can anyone suggest
> what might be causing the problem and how I might fix it?
Rolf,

What happens if you start up R on Windows from the command line using
 
  Rgui --vanilla

?

Any chance that you have a corrupted workspace getting restored on
startup that is subtle enough to not be immediately evident, but causes
this problem in later steps?

You may need to remove any .RData files that are getting loaded on
startup and recreate your package(s) in a clean R session before further
attempts at installation.

HTH,

Marc Schwartz