Diagnose a DESCRIPTION File R Cannot Read

Flags a DESCRIPTION that is missing or that R cannot read: a line that is neither a Field: value pair nor an indented continuation, or a blank line that splits the file in two. R CMD build and R CMD INSTALL both stop on such a file, so the package cannot be built or installed. A DESCRIPTION R cannot open at all fails with the reason, a directory in its place or a file without read permission, which is found from the file system and so reads the same in any language. Every other DESCRIPTION check reads the parsed fields, so while this one fails they are reported as skipped.

Usage

lab_description_file(path = ".", verbose = TRUE, desc = NULL)

Arguments

path

Character. Path to the package directory. Default: ".".

verbose

Logical. Print diagnostic output. Default: TRUE.

desc

Present for signature parity with the other DESCRIPTION checks; this check asks whether R can read the DESCRIPTION file itself, so it reads the file and ignores desc.

Value

checktor_check_result() with passed, issues, message.

Source

Writing R Extensions, under "The DESCRIPTION file", specifies the format of a Debian Control File: "Fields start with an ASCII name immediately followed by a colon" and "Continuation lines ... start with a space or tab". R reads it with base::read.dcf() and refuses a file that yields more than one record. See vignette("check-sources", package = "checktor") for how every check maps to its source.

See also

checktor(), which runs this and every other check.

Examples

pkg <- example_diagnose_scenario("description_examples/unparseable_description.txt",
                                 show_content = FALSE)
lab_description_file(pkg, verbose = FALSE)$issues
#> [1] "DESCRIPTION does not parse: Line starting 'reflowed, so it read ...' is malformed!"
unlink(pkg, recursive = TRUE)