(One question from the thread Handling Not-Always-Needed Dependencies?)
I hope not to start another long tangled thread, but I have a basic
confusion which I think has a yes/no answer and I would like to know if
there is agreement on this point (or is it only me that is confused as
usual).
If my package has a test that needs another package, but that package is
not needed in the /R code of my package, then I indicate it as
"Suggests", not as "Depends" nor as "Imports". If that package is not
available when I run R CMD check, should the test pass?
Yes or no: ?
(I realize my own answer might be different if the package was used in
an example or demo in place of a test, but that is just the confusion
caused by too many uses for Suggests. In the case of a test, my own
thought is that the test must fail, so my own answer is no. If the test
does not fail then there is no real testing being done, thus missing
code coverage in the testing. If the answer is no, then the tests do not
need to be run if the package is not available, because it is known that
they must fail. I think that not bothering to run the tests because the
result is known is even more efficient than other suggestions. I also
think it is the status quo.)
Hoping my confusion is cleared up, and this does not become another long
tangled thread,
Paul
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