Introduction to Devtools and Error Handling

Understanding the devtools Package

The devtools package in R is a collection of tools used for building, testing, and documenting packages. It provides functions like check() which allows us to check the contents of our package for errors.

# Install devtools if you haven't already
install.packages("devtools")

# Load the devtools library
library(devtools)

# Check your package with a simple example
check_package()

Checking Error Messages

When we run devtools::check(), it performs several checks on our code. These include:

Checking for missing or invalid dependencies
Verifying that all required functions exist
Ensuring consistency in function names and arguments
Running tests to verify functionality

If any of these checks fail, the check package reports an error message.

The Problem: An Error from `devtools::check()`

The problem we are discussing involves a seemingly random occurrence of an error when running devtools::check(). This error is specifically reported by devtools as:

install options ‘–no-html –no-multiarch’

This particular error occurs about half the time, but sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes this happens even after making no changes to our code or session in between.

Understanding the Error Message

The provided error message indicates that there was an issue during the installation of a dependency. The --no-html and --no-multiarch options are usually used when compiling packages with RStudio’s build system, but they don’t seem related to this particular problem. Without knowing more details about the package being checked (like its dependencies), it is hard to say exactly what might be causing the issue.

Installing Additional Packages

To diagnose the problem, let’s look at some potential solutions that involve installing additional packages:

rcmdcheck
The rcmdcheck package is used for checking R packages for errors and consistency. Sometimes, when you encounter a check failure or an error message like the one described above, you may want to try running it with the rcmdcheck function.

Install and load rcmdcheck

install.packages(“rcmdcheck”) library(rcmdcheck)

Run rcmdcheck on your package

rcmdcheck(‘YourPath/YourPackage’)


    This can sometimes help diagnose issues that are not apparent through other methods.

2.  Other Packages

    Sometimes, the problem is related to missing or required dependencies. In such cases, you might want to try installing additional packages to see if they resolve the issue.

### What Can Cause This Error?

The exact cause of this error can vary depending on several factors:

1.  **Missing Dependencies**

    Missing dependencies are one potential cause for errors when running `devtools::check()`. When you install a package, it often depends on other packages to run correctly.

2.  **Conflicting Options**

    In some cases, conflicting options might be the cause of an error like this one. This could involve options like `--no-html` or `--no-multiarch`, which are used for different purposes in RStudio's build system.

3.  **Package Consistency Issues**

    Another possible explanation is consistency issues within your package. Sometimes, packages have internal inconsistencies that can cause errors when checking them.

### Solved Solution

If you encounter this issue and try `rcmdcheck` without any luck, the next step would be to experiment with different build options or modify the build system configuration for your RStudio project.

```markdown
# Try installing rcmdcheck as suggested in the question
install.packages("rcmdcheck")
library(rcmdcheck)
rcmdcheck('YourPath/YourPackage')

Additional Advice

If you find yourself dealing with errors from devtools::check() frequently, here are a few general tips for troubleshooting:

Check your dependencies: Make sure that all necessary packages and their versions are installed correctly.
Be aware of build system options: Familiarize yourself with the available build system options and how they might impact the build process.

Conclusion

devtools::check() can sometimes generate error messages that seem random or unpredictable. When this happens, using rcmdcheck to run diagnostics on your package might be helpful in identifying what’s causing the problem. If you encounter these issues frequently, keep an eye out for potential dependencies and build system options that could impact the process.

Final Note

If you find yourself struggling with issues like these after reading this article, there are always more resources available to help you understand devtools and R in general.

Last modified on 2023-09-03