[R-pkg-devel] packaging biosig for R

On 16/03/2020 3:00 a.m., Alois Schl?gl wrote:

Thanks for your response. For *nix (Linux, MacOSX), this can be
achieved. For windows, currently the only way to compile libbiosig is
through mingw-cross-compiler environment (MXE) [1]? or in cygwin.
Currently, libbiosig does not compile with with VC++for various reasons,
and libbiosig has some hard dependencies (libiconv, suitesparse, dcmtk),
(there are dependencies on libb64, tinyxml), I'm wondering what the best
approach would be.

- Would it be ok, if libbiosig.dll is distributed in binary form ?

I think the answer to that is that it would not be allowed, but I'm not 
part of CRAN.

- Or would you accept a package that currently runs only on
MacOSX/Homebrew and Linux but not on Windows ?

There are some packages like that on CRAN, but it is certainly 
discouraged.? Bioconductor has its own rules; you might want to ask 
there, given the subject matter of your package.

Duncan Murdoch

Alois Schl?gl

[1] https://github.com/schloegl/mxe



Am 3/16/20 um 2:08 AM schrieb Duncan Murdoch:

I suspect the question in this case depends on the availability of
libbiosig.? If CRAN test machines don't have that and its source isn't
included in the R package, then it will fail on initial install.? CRAN
doesn't have a lot of resources to install difficult libraries; I have
no idea if that applies in this case.

I believe the most robust way to handle this sort of package is to
have a configure script that looks for the lib on the installing
machine, and uses that copy if found, otherwise compiles it from source.

Duncan Murdoch



On 15/03/2020 3:41 p.m., Jeff Newmiller wrote:

I am just a lurker (not representing CRAN) but I am having a hard
time understanding your question.

Binary packages are a convenience for users, not a method for
submitting packages. When you have an R package accepted it is
accepted in source format.
If it doesn't exclude support for Windows or MacOSX then it will (in
time) be compiled into a binary form for distribution in addition to
being distributed is source form.

As the maintainer, your responsibility is merely to confirm that your
source package is properly configured to be built in binary form
before you submit it to CRAN. This is normally accomplished by
successfully building it as binary in a testing environment. There
are various guides out there that can be helpful in accomplishing
this, e.g. [1].

[1] https://kbroman.org/pkg_primer/pages/cran.htm


On March 15, 2020 1:07:41 AM PDT, "Alois Schl?gl"
<alois.schloegl at gmail.com> wrote:

Dear R packagers,


the Biosig project [1] supports reading of about 50 different data
format [2]. Recently, a language binding to R was added, because a 
user
of Biosig asked for it.


I've read the policy [3], and it seems the biosig would qualify as
binary package. The underlying library (libbiosig) can be installed

- on linux from source, or through debian/ubuntu package

- on MacOSX through Homebrew.

- for Windows I'm using MXE mingw-cross-compiler environment to build
libbiosig.dll


Would it be feasible to provide a package of biosig on cran ? What 
need
to be considered ?


Kind regards

???? Alois



[1] http://biosig.sourceforge.net/download.html

[2] http://pub.ist.ac.at/~schloegl/biosig/TESTED

[3] https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/policies.html