Skip to contents

Make Package

Source: R/mk_pkg.R
mk_pkg.Rd

Create a new R package with the specified parameters. This function automates the process of creating an R package structure, including DESCRIPTION file, README, license files, and optionally sets up Git, GitHub, and pkgdown documentation.

Usage

mk_pkg(
  path,
  author,
  email = NULL,
  git = TRUE,
  git_username = NULL,
  git_email = NULL,
  readme_md = TRUE,
  check_pkg_name = TRUE,
  license = "MIT",
  pkgdown = TRUE
)

Arguments

path

character. The path where the package will be created. Can be a simple package name (creates in current directory) or a full path. Package name must start with a letter and contain only letters, numbers, and dots.

author

character. Full name of the package author (e.g., "Jane Doe"). Must include at least a first and last name separated by space.

email

character. Email address of the author. Optional, but must be a valid email format if provided.

git

logical. Whether to initialize a Git repository for the package. Default: TRUE.

git_username

character. The username to use for Git configuration. Optional; only used if git = TRUE.

git_email

character. The email to use for Git configuration. Optional; only used if git = TRUE.

readme_md

logical. Whether to create a README.md file. Default: TRUE.

check_pkg_name

logical. Whether to check that the package name is available on CRAN using the 'available' package. Default: TRUE.

license

character. The license to use for the package. Must be either "MIT" or "GPL-3". Default: "MIT".

pkgdown

logical. Whether to set up and build a pkgdown documentation site. Default: TRUE. Note: this can take some time to build.

Value

Invisibly returns a list with three elements:

  • path: Full path to the created package

  • package_name: Name of the package

  • success: TRUE if package was created successfully

Details

The function includes comprehensive input validation to ensure:

  • Package names follow R conventions (start with letter, contain only letters/numbers/dots)

  • Email addresses are properly formatted

  • Author names include at least first and last name

  • The target directory doesn't already exist

If any operation fails (e.g., Git/GitHub setup), the function continues and warns rather than failing completely, ensuring you still get a usable package structure.

Examples

# Create a simple package with MIT license
pkg_dir <- file.path(tempdir(), "mypackage")
mk_pkg(
  path = pkg_dir,
  author = "Jane Doe",
  email = "jane.doe@example.com",
  git = FALSE,
  check_pkg_name = FALSE,
  pkgdown = FALSE
)
#> Creating package structure...
#> ✔ Creating /tmp/RtmpwwActA/mypackage/.
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/mypackage".
#> ✔ Creating R/.
#> ✔ Writing DESCRIPTION.
#> Package: mypackage
#> Title: What the Package Does (One Line, Title Case)
#> Version: 0.0.0.9000
#> Authors@R (parsed):
#>     * First Last <first.last@example.com> [aut, cre]
#> Description: What the package does (one paragraph).
#> License: `use_mit_license()`, `use_gpl3_license()` or friends to
#>     pick a license
#> Encoding: UTF-8
#> Roxygen: list(markdown = TRUE)
#> RoxygenNote: 7.0.0
#> ✔ Writing NAMESPACE.
#> ✔ Writing mypackage.Rproj.
#> ✔ Adding "^mypackage\\.Rproj$" to .Rbuildignore.
#> ✔ Adding ".Rproj.user" to .gitignore.
#> ✔ Adding "^\\.Rproj\\.user$" to .Rbuildignore.
#> ✔ Setting active project to "<no active project>".
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/home/runner/work/pkgmkr/pkgmkr".
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/mypackage".
#> Setting up DESCRIPTION file...
#> Creating README.md...
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/mypackage".
#> ✔ Writing README.md.
#> ☐ Update README.md to include installation instructions.
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/mypackage".
#> Setting up MIT license...
#> ✔ Adding "MIT + file LICENSE" to License.
#> ✔ Writing LICENSE.
#> ✔ Writing LICENSE.md.
#> ✔ Adding "^LICENSE\\.md$" to .Rbuildignore.
#> 
#> ============================================================
#> SUCCESS! Package 'mypackage' created at:
#> /tmp/RtmpwwActA/mypackage
#> ============================================================
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/home/runner/work/pkgmkr/pkgmkr".
unlink(pkg_dir, recursive = TRUE)

# Create a package with GPL-3 license
pkg_dir <- file.path(tempdir(), "analysisPkg")
mk_pkg(
  path = pkg_dir,
  author = "John Smith Wilson",
  email = "john@example.com",
  git = FALSE,
  check_pkg_name = FALSE,
  license = "GPL-3",
  pkgdown = FALSE
)
#> Creating package structure...
#> ✔ Creating /tmp/RtmpwwActA/analysisPkg/.
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/analysisPkg".
#> ✔ Creating R/.
#> ✔ Writing DESCRIPTION.
#> Package: analysisPkg
#> Title: What the Package Does (One Line, Title Case)
#> Version: 0.0.0.9000
#> Authors@R (parsed):
#>     * First Last <first.last@example.com> [aut, cre]
#> Description: What the package does (one paragraph).
#> License: `use_mit_license()`, `use_gpl3_license()` or friends to
#>     pick a license
#> Encoding: UTF-8
#> Roxygen: list(markdown = TRUE)
#> RoxygenNote: 7.0.0
#> ✔ Writing NAMESPACE.
#> ✔ Writing analysisPkg.Rproj.
#> ✔ Adding "^analysisPkg\\.Rproj$" to .Rbuildignore.
#> ✔ Adding ".Rproj.user" to .gitignore.
#> ✔ Adding "^\\.Rproj\\.user$" to .Rbuildignore.
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/home/runner/work/pkgmkr/pkgmkr".
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/analysisPkg".
#> Setting up DESCRIPTION file...
#> Creating README.md...
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/analysisPkg".
#> ✔ Writing README.md.
#> ☐ Update README.md to include installation instructions.
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/tmp/RtmpwwActA/analysisPkg".
#> Setting up GPL-3 license...
#> ✔ Adding "GPL (>= 3)" to License.
#> ✔ Writing LICENSE.md.
#> ✔ Adding "^LICENSE\\.md$" to .Rbuildignore.
#> 
#> ============================================================
#> SUCCESS! Package 'analysisPkg' created at:
#> /tmp/RtmpwwActA/analysisPkg
#> ============================================================
#> ✔ Setting active project to "/home/runner/work/pkgmkr/pkgmkr".
unlink(pkg_dir, recursive = TRUE)