versions: Query and Install Specific Versions of Packages on CRAN

Description

Installs specified versions of R packages hosted on CRAN and provides functions to list available versions and the versions of currently installed packages. These tools can be used to help make R projects and packages more reproducible. versions fits in the narrow gap between the devtools install_version function and the checkpoint package.

devtools::install_version installs a stated package version from source files stored on the CRAN archives. However CRAN does not store binary versions of packages so Windows users need to have RTools installed and Windows and OSX users get longer installation times.

checkpoint uses the Revolution Analytics MRAN server to install packages (from source or binary) as they were available on a given date. It also provides a helpful interface to detect the packages in use in a directory and install all of those packages for a given date. checkpoint doesn't provide install.packages-like functionality however, and that's what versions aims to do, by querying MRAN.

As MRAN only goes back to 2014-09-17, versions can't install packages from before this date.

The available functions are:

• available.versions

• install.versions

• install.dates

• installed.versions

Examples

## Not run: 

# list the available versions of checkpoint
available.versions('checkpoint')

# install a specific version
install.versions('checkpoint', '0.3.9')

# check the installed version
installed.versions('versions')

# install checkpoint as of a specific date
install.dates('checkpoint', '2014-12-25')


## End(Not run)

available.versions

Description

List all of the past versions of the named packages ever uploaded to CRAN (and therefore in the CRAN source archives), their publication dates and whether they can be installed from MRAN via install.versions or install.dates.

Usage

available.versions(pkgs)

Arguments

Value

a list of dataframes, each giving the versions and publication dates for the corresponding elements of pkgs as well as whether they can be installed from MRAN

Examples

## Not run: 

# available versions of checkpoint
available.versions('checkpoint')

# available versions of checkpoint and devtools
available.versions(c('checkpoint', 'devtools'))


## End(Not run)

install.dates

Description

Download and install the latest versions of packages hosted on CRAN as of a specific date from the MRAN server.

Usage

install.dates(pkgs, dates, lib, ...)

Arguments

Examples

## Not run: 

# install yesterday's version of checkpoint
install.dates('checkpoint', Sys.Date() - 1)

# install yesterday's versions of checkpoint and devtools
install.dates(c('checkpoint', 'devtools'), Sys.Date() - 1)

# install yesterday's version of checkpoint and the day before's devtools
install.dates(c('checkpoint', 'devtools'), Sys.Date() - 1:2)


## End(Not run)

install.versions

Description

Download and install named versions of packages hosted on CRAN from the MRAN server.

Usage

install.versions(pkgs, versions, lib, ...)

Arguments

Examples

## Not run: 

# install an earlier version of checkpoint
install.versions('checkpoint', '0.3.3')

# install earlier versions of checkpoint and devtools
install.versions(c('checkpoint', 'devtools'), c('0.3.3', '1.6.1'))


## End(Not run)

installed.versions

Description

List the installed versions of packages in a library directory

Usage

installed.versions(pkgs, lib)

Arguments

Value

a named character vector of version numbers corresponding to pkgs, with names giving the package names. If a packakge could not be found in lib, an NA will be returned.

Examples

# the versions of versions
installed.versions('versions')

# apply to multiple packages
installed.versions(c('stats', 'versions'))

# add a package that doesn't exist or isn't installed
# (returns NA for that one)
installed.versions(c('stats', 'versions', 'notapackage'))