CRAN checks errors on roxygen @examples: base::assign and missing reshape2

Question

I am trying to push the following package to CRAN, but I keep getting an error on the check.

Error:

✓  checking R/sysdata.rda ...
    WARNING
   ‘qpdf’ is needed for checks on size reduction of PDFs
✓  checking installed files from ‘inst/doc’ ...
✓  checking files in ‘vignettes’ ...
E  checking examples (3s)
   Running examples in ‘oRus-Ex.R’ failed
   The error most likely occurred in:
   
   > base::assign(".ptime", proc.time(), pos = "CheckExEnv")
   > ### Name: analyseStories
   > ### Title: Analysing Stories
   > ### Aliases: analyseStories
   > 
   > ### ** Examples
   > 
   > # Transform the stories
   > fileUrl <- example_stories()
   > stories <- analyseStories(fileUrl, 7)
   Joining, by = "word"
   Joining, by = "word"
   Error in loadNamespace(name) : there is no package called ‘reshape2’
   Calls: analyseStories ... loadNamespace -> withRestarts -> withOneRestart -> doWithOneRestart
   Execution halted

Current problems:

The example is in orus::analyseStores(...) function.
The example actually runs and works on the pkgdown website.
The error appears only when doing devtools::check

I have tried multiple things:

This answer base::assign(".ptime", proc.time(), pos = "CheckExEnv") ERROR when using devtools::check suggested using dontrun{...}. It passes CRAN's check, but it was bounced by a person after a couple of days.
This answer R package fails devtools::check, because "could not find function" even though the function is imported in NAMESPACE suggested doing require on the missing library. I did require(reshape2) but the check still does not pass.
This answer "Could not find function" in Roxygen examples during CMD check suggests that I need to make all my functions public (exported). I don't want to do that. I tried doing orus:::some_function(...) to call to the non-exported functions inside analyseStores but it doesn't work either.
According to this one: R package build failed when checking examples the data is working and the function has the @export tag. Also, namespace is properly updated.

I have run out of options. Any idea of what is happening?

Every user should be able to run the examples without error, but you are loading a package they might not have. You'd need a `dontrun`. — Axeman, Jul 06 '20 at 21:34
@Axeman after the automated check, a person checks the package. And they bounced it back because I had used `\dontrun{...}` on the example that refuses to work. — Carrol, Jul 06 '20 at 21:35
@Axeman The problem is I am not using any `reshape2` function directly. It is all due to transitive dependencies. If I put `reshape2` on the Imports in Description file, I get a warning that the package is not needed D: — Carrol, Jul 06 '20 at 21:39
I'm a bit confused why you need to load `reshape2` for that example. — Axeman, Jul 06 '20 at 21:39
It sounds to me that the example that you can't run is just a symptom, but not the root of the issue here. But rather, you have a deeper issue with dependencies not working as they should. — Axeman, Jul 06 '20 at 21:42
Try adding `reshape2` to Suggests. I had similar issue today when using `sjlabelled::read_spss` in my package. When checking via ´devtools::check` both in my examples and my tests I got an error that `haven` is needed for this function. After adding `haven` to Suggests both the examples and the tests passed. — stefan, Jul 06 '20 at 22:00
In relation to the \dontrun getting bounced back ; can you also add a `require` statement i.e. `\dontrun{ if (require("reshape2")) { your_example}}` . This is seen pretty regularly in help files. — user20650, Jul 06 '20 at 22:07
@stefan Ended up adding `reshape2` to suggests using `usethis::usepackage("reshape2", "Suggests")`. For now, CRAN check passes and I've submitted to CRAN. Hoping it doesn't get bounced back. Feel free to post it as an answer. — Carrol, Jul 06 '20 at 22:08

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 07 '20 at 20:22

As @stefan suggested in the comments, I had to add reshape2 into the Suggested packages in the description file. I added using:

usethis::usepackage("reshape2", "Suggests")

Followed by regenerating the docs:

devtools:document()

Package is on its way to CRAN!

CRAN checks errors on roxygen @examples: base::assign and missing reshape2

1 Answers1