check_data_update: Check if reptile database data needs updating based on date...

In reptiledb.data: Reptile Database Data

Check if reptile database data needs updating based on date comparison

Description

This function checks if the local reptile database data is up-to-date by comparing the date extracted from the local dataset name with the date from the latest available file on The Reptile Database website.

Usage

check_data_update(silent = FALSE, check_connection = TRUE)

Arguments

silent	Logical. If TRUE, suppresses messages and only returns results. Default is FALSE.
check_connection	Logical. If TRUE, checks internet connection before attempting to access online data. Default is TRUE.

Value

A list containing the following elements:

update_needed

Logical. TRUE if an update is needed, FALSE otherwise

local_info

List. Information about the local dataset

remote_info

List. Information about the remote dataset

message

Character. Status message describing the comparison result

recommendation

Character. Recommendation for user action

local_date

Character. Date of local data in YYYY-MM-DD format

remote_date

Character. Date of remote data in YYYY-MM-DD format (if available)

remote_filename

Character. Filename of the remote file (if available)

days_difference

Numeric. Number of days difference between local and remote data (if both dates available)

If an error occurs or internet connection is not available, only the message element will contain relevant error information.

Examples

# Silent check (no messages) - requires internet connection
update_status <- check_data_update(silent = TRUE)

# Verbose check with connection verification
update_status <- check_data_update(silent = FALSE, check_connection = TRUE)

# Check without internet connection verification
update_status <- check_data_update(check_connection = FALSE)

reptiledb.data documentation built on Aug. 8, 2025, 7:13 p.m.