setLibPaths {Require}

Set .libPaths

Description

This will set the .libPaths() by either adding a new path to it if standAlone = FALSE, or will concatenate c(libPath, tail(.libPaths(), 1)) if standAlone = TRUE. Currently, the default is to make this new .libPaths() "sticky", meaning it becomes associated with the current directory even through a restart of R. It does this by adding and/updating the ‘.Rprofile’ file in the current directory. If this current directory is a project, then the project will have the new .libPaths() associated with it, even through an R restart.

Usage

setLibPaths(
  libPaths,
  standAlone = TRUE,
  updateRprofile = getOption("Require.updateRprofile", FALSE),
  exact = FALSE,
  verbose = getOption("Require.verbose")
)

Arguments

libPaths

A new path to append to, or replace all existing user components of .libPath()

standAlone

Logical. If TRUE, all packages will be installed to and loaded from the libPaths only. NOTE: If TRUE, THIS WILL CHANGE THE USER'S .libPaths(), similar to e.g., the checkpoint package. If FALSE, then libPath will be prepended to .libPaths() during the Require call, resulting in shared packages, i.e., it will include the user's default package folder(s). This can be create dramatically faster installs if the user has a substantial number of the packages already in their personal library. Default FALSE to minimize package installing.

updateRprofile

Logical or Character string. If TRUE, then this function will put several lines of code in the current directory's .Rprofile file setting up the package libraries for this and future sessions. If a character string, then this should be the path to an .Rprofile file. To reset back to normal, run setLibPaths() without a libPath. Default: getOption("Require.updateRprofile", FALSE), meaning FALSE, but it can be set with an option or within a single call.

exact

Logical. This function will automatically append the R version number to the libPaths to maintain separate R package libraries for each R version on the system. There are some cases where this behaviour is not desirable. Set exact to TRUE to override this automatic appending and use the exact, unaltered libPaths. Default is FALSE

verbose

Numeric or logical indicating how verbose should the function be. If -1 or -2, then as little verbosity as possible. If 0 or FALSE, then minimal outputs; if 1 or TRUE, more outputs; 2 even more. NOTE: in Require function, when verbose >= 2, also returns details as if returnDetails = TRUE (for backwards compatibility).

Details

This details of this code were modified from https://github.com/milesmcbain. A different, likely non-approved by CRAN approach that also works is here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/36873741/3890027.

Value

The main point of this function is to set .libPaths(), which will be changed as a side effect of this function. As when setting options, this will return the previous state of .libPaths() allowing the user to reset easily.

Examples

## Not run: 
if (Require:::.runLongExamples()) {
  opts <- Require:::.setupExample()
  origDir <- setwd(tempdir())
  td <- tempdir()
  setLibPaths(td) # set a new R package library locally
  setLibPaths() # reset it to original
  setwd(origDir)
  # Using standAlone = FALSE means that newly installed packages
  #   will be installed
  #   in the new package library, but loading packages can come
  #   from any of the ones listed in .libPaths()

  # will have 2 or more paths
  otherLib <- file.path(td, "newProjectLib")
  setLibPaths(otherLib, standAlone = FALSE)
  # Can restart R, and changes will stay

  # remove the custom .libPaths()
  setLibPaths() # reset to previous; remove from .Rprofile
  # because libPath arg is empty

  Require:::.cleanup(opts)
  unlink(otherLib, recursive = TRUE)
}

## End(Not run)