Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
On 6/21/23 8:33 PM, Rolf Turner wrote:
On Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:39:48 -0400
wrote:
If you really need a new package name, is there an accepted way to
update the old name to at least provide a message for a while as to
the new name to use and perhaps have the load otherwise fail?
I don't know about "accepted", but the following paradigm seems to me
to be sensible and reasonably efficacious:
* you have a package "foo" the name of which you wish to change to "bar"
* create a new package "bar" which is the same as "foo" except for its
name
* now replace foo with a skeleton package which has only the file
First.R in its R directory
* the file First.R should be something like:
.onAttach <- function(lib, pkg) {
ver <- read.dcf(file.path(lib, pkg, "DESCRIPTION"), "Version")
packageStartupMessage(paste(pkg, ver))
msg <- paste("\n This package, \"foo\" is now",
" deprecated. Users",
"\n should install and use its",
" successor \"bar\".\n")
packageStartupMessage(msg) }
* submit both "bar" and "foo" to CRAN
Years ago, I had package "RSiteSearch". I asked some R list what
might be a better name for that. "sos" was suggested, and Duncan
Murdoch contributed code for an enhancement. Then I added something
like ".onAttach" to "RSiteSearch" and kept it on CRAN for a couple of
years after introducing "sos". That allowed people to use the old
package for a couple of years without forcing them to switch immediately.
I think that worked quite well.
Hope this helps.
Spencer Graves
cheers,
Rolf Turner
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Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
On Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:39:48 -0400
wrote:
> If you really need a new package name, is there an accepted way to
> update the old name to at least provide a message for a while as to
> the new name to use and perhaps have the load otherwise fail?
I don't know about "accepted", but the following paradigm seems to me
to be sensible and reasonably efficacious:
* you have a package "foo" the name of which you wish to change to "bar"
* create a new package "bar" which is the same as "foo" except for its
name
* now replace foo with a skeleton package which has only the file
First.R in its R directory
* the file First.R should be something like:
> .onAttach <- function(lib, pkg) {
> ver <- read.dcf(file.path(lib, pkg, "DESCRIPTION"), "Version")
> packageStartupMessage(paste(pkg, ver))
> msg <- paste("\n This package, \"foo\" is now",
> " deprecated. Users",
> "\n should install and use its",
> " successor \"bar\".\n")
> packageStartupMessage(msg) }
* submit both "bar" and "foo" to CRAN
cheers,
Rolf Turner
--
Honorary Research Fellow
Department of Statistics
University of Auckland
Stats. Dep't. (secretaries) phone:
+64-9-373-7599 ext. 89622
Home phone: +64-9-480-4619
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Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
Dear All, Thanks very much for the positive and helpful replies here. All the best, William > On 20/06/2023 19:36 CEST Uwe Ligges wrote: > > > On 20.06.2023 18:00, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote: > > > > Hi William, > > > > On 20 June 2023 at 16:06, William Becker wrote: > > | I am the maintainer of a package which is unfortunately involved in a > > complicated dispute regarding its intellectual property (since the package > > was partly built under a contract with an organisation), but also the > > "branding" of the package, i.e. the name. > > | > > | The story is long and complicated, but suffice to say that the name of > > the package is apparently creating a misleading connection with the > > organisation, and this is causing difficulties on both sides. > > | > > | I am aware that changing the name of a package is very disruptive, and I > > am not considering it lightly. However just for information at this stage, > > I wonder if anyone could tell me whether packages have ever changed names > > on CRAN, what the rules are in these cases, and if there is any advice for > > minimising the disruption. > > | > > | To reiterate, I am not (yet) planning to do this, but exploring options > > and looking for advice. > > > > You presented the reasoning convincingly and are aware of the general "we > > would rather not do this" sentiment. Ultimately, this (as so often) is > > CRAN's > > call so you have to do that (directly and not via this list). My sense is > > that you have a case but only CRAN can tell. > > Yes, CRAN will accept this case. > > Best, > Uwe Ligges > > > > > > > Good luck, Dirk > > __ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel
Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
If you really need a new package name, is there an accepted way to update the old name to at least provide a message for a while as to the new name to use and perhaps have the load otherwise fail? -Original Message- From: R-package-devel On Behalf Of Dirk Eddelbuettel Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2023 12:00 PM To: William Becker Cc: r-package-devel@r-project.org Subject: Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name Hi William, On 20 June 2023 at 16:06, William Becker wrote: | I am the maintainer of a package which is unfortunately involved in a complicated dispute regarding its intellectual property (since the package was partly built under a contract with an organisation), but also the "branding" of the package, i.e. the name. | | The story is long and complicated, but suffice to say that the name of the package is apparently creating a misleading connection with the organisation, and this is causing difficulties on both sides. | | I am aware that changing the name of a package is very disruptive, and I am not considering it lightly. However just for information at this stage, I wonder if anyone could tell me whether packages have ever changed names on CRAN, what the rules are in these cases, and if there is any advice for minimising the disruption. | | To reiterate, I am not (yet) planning to do this, but exploring options and looking for advice. You presented the reasoning convincingly and are aware of the general "we would rather not do this" sentiment. Ultimately, this (as so often) is CRAN's call so you have to do that (directly and not via this list). My sense is that you have a case but only CRAN can tell. Good luck, Dirk -- dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | e...@debian.org __ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel __ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel
Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
On 20.06.2023 18:00, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote: Hi William, On 20 June 2023 at 16:06, William Becker wrote: | I am the maintainer of a package which is unfortunately involved in a complicated dispute regarding its intellectual property (since the package was partly built under a contract with an organisation), but also the "branding" of the package, i.e. the name. | | The story is long and complicated, but suffice to say that the name of the package is apparently creating a misleading connection with the organisation, and this is causing difficulties on both sides. | | I am aware that changing the name of a package is very disruptive, and I am not considering it lightly. However just for information at this stage, I wonder if anyone could tell me whether packages have ever changed names on CRAN, what the rules are in these cases, and if there is any advice for minimising the disruption. | | To reiterate, I am not (yet) planning to do this, but exploring options and looking for advice. You presented the reasoning convincingly and are aware of the general "we would rather not do this" sentiment. Ultimately, this (as so often) is CRAN's call so you have to do that (directly and not via this list). My sense is that you have a case but only CRAN can tell. Yes, CRAN will accept this case. Best, Uwe Ligges Good luck, Dirk __ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel
Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
I second Dirk's suggestion to address this issue directly to CRAN. I had one of my packages changed once from "Reot" to "remote" (which enables calculation of empirical orthogonal teleconnections as introduced by van den Dool 2000) and had to present some convincing arguments to do so (in quite a long email conversation). The point that finally convinced CRAN in my case was that a reviewer of the complementing publication about the package in jss requested that name change as Reot could easily be misinterpreted as rotated eot, analogous to EOF and rotated EOF. And jss apparently has the policy to only publish papers about packages available from CRAN. So, as Dirk said, it is possible to convince CRAN, but you need good arguments. Best Tim On Tue, Jun 20, 2023, 18:00 Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote: > > Hi William, > > On 20 June 2023 at 16:06, William Becker wrote: > | I am the maintainer of a package which is unfortunately involved in a > complicated dispute regarding its intellectual property (since the package > was partly built under a contract with an organisation), but also the > "branding" of the package, i.e. the name. > | > | The story is long and complicated, but suffice to say that the name of > the package is apparently creating a misleading connection with the > organisation, and this is causing difficulties on both sides. > | > | I am aware that changing the name of a package is very disruptive, and I > am not considering it lightly. However just for information at this stage, > I wonder if anyone could tell me whether packages have ever changed names > on CRAN, what the rules are in these cases, and if there is any advice for > minimising the disruption. > | > | To reiterate, I am not (yet) planning to do this, but exploring options > and looking for advice. > > You presented the reasoning convincingly and are aware of the general "we > would rather not do this" sentiment. Ultimately, this (as so often) is > CRAN's > call so you have to do that (directly and not via this list). My sense is > that you have a case but only CRAN can tell. > > Good luck, Dirk > > -- > dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | e...@debian.org > > __ > R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel > [[alternative HTML version deleted]] __ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel
Re: [R-pkg-devel] Change package name
Hi William, On 20 June 2023 at 16:06, William Becker wrote: | I am the maintainer of a package which is unfortunately involved in a complicated dispute regarding its intellectual property (since the package was partly built under a contract with an organisation), but also the "branding" of the package, i.e. the name. | | The story is long and complicated, but suffice to say that the name of the package is apparently creating a misleading connection with the organisation, and this is causing difficulties on both sides. | | I am aware that changing the name of a package is very disruptive, and I am not considering it lightly. However just for information at this stage, I wonder if anyone could tell me whether packages have ever changed names on CRAN, what the rules are in these cases, and if there is any advice for minimising the disruption. | | To reiterate, I am not (yet) planning to do this, but exploring options and looking for advice. You presented the reasoning convincingly and are aware of the general "we would rather not do this" sentiment. Ultimately, this (as so often) is CRAN's call so you have to do that (directly and not via this list). My sense is that you have a case but only CRAN can tell. Good luck, Dirk -- dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | e...@debian.org __ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel
