Message-ID: <314ed868-5582-4119-9c43-bd6c86200f6d@mcmaster.ca>
Date: 2024-12-18T15:26:38Z
From: John Fox
Subject: [R-pkg-devel] Changes in function call with respect to the current published version
In-Reply-To: <CACr7k5+pmMhwmEJ9Zb0gL4yRLt4gsuAW2_98uz3W0YZ3vydUxw@mail.gmail.com>
Dear Jose,
Assuming that you can fix the bugs in the original function, one
approach would be to make myfun() generic, say myfun <- function(y, ...)
UseMethod("myfun"), with the (fixed) original myfun() as the default
method and a new function method, which would probably set up a call to
the default method. Then existing code wouldn't break and users would
have the option of using a formula.
I hope this helps,
John
--
John Fox, Professor Emeritus
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
web: https://www.john-fox.ca/
--
On 2024-12-17 4:00 p.m., Jose Barrera-G?mez wrote:
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> Dear List,
>
> I have a package that works in the context of regression models. The main
> function has arguments (y, x, z, data, ...), where y is the response
> variable, x is the explanatory variable and z can be other covariates.
>
> Due to some bugs, I am interested in changing the call from (y, x, z, data,
> ...) to (formula, data, ...).
>
> For instance, current usage is
>
> myfun(y = birthweight, x = cotinine, z = age, data = mydata, ...)
>
> and new usage would be
>
> myfun(formula = birthweight ~ cotinine + age, data = mydata, ...)
>
> This change would have no impact on the usage for the rest of the package.
>
> My concern is that users updating the package won't be able to reproduce
> old analyses. I.e. they would need to update the calls to myfun (but
> nothing else related to the usage of other functions or methods).
>
> I think the new usage would result in some advantages and bugs fixing and
> only the disadvantage I mentioned just above.
>
> I would appreciate advice on:
>
> 1) There could be other disadvantages for users of previous versions that I
> don't see?
>
> 2) What would be the best location(s) in the documentation to explain in
> detail this change?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Jose Barrera
> Statistician, Associate Lecturer
>
> *IS**Global*
> Barcelona Institute for Global Health - Campus MAR
> Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) (Room Hypatia)
>
> Doctor Aiguader, 88
> 08003 Barcelona, Spain
> Tel. +34 93 2147383
> jose.barrera at isglobal.org
> <https://www.linkedin.com/in/josebarrera>
> Personal website: sites.google.com/view/josebarrera
> www.isglobal.org
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