tools/doc/deps.md

In r-lib/depends: Package Dependency Resolution and Downloads

R packages may have various types of dependencies, see \href{https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-exts.html}{Writing R Extensions}.

pak groups dependencies into three groups: \itemize{ \item hard dependencies: "Depends", "Imports", and "LinkingTo", \item soft dependencies: "Suggests" and "Enhances", \item extra dependencies, see below. }

pak supports concise ways of specifying which types of dependencies of a package should be installed. It is similar to how \code{\link[utils:install.packages]{utils::install.packages()}} interprets its \code{dependencies} argument.

You typically use one of these values: \itemize{ \item \code{NA} or \code{"hard"} to install a package and its required dependencies, \item \code{TRUE} to install all required dependencies, plus optional and development dependencies. }

If you need more flexibility, the full description of possible values for the \code{dependencies} argument are: \itemize{ \item \code{TRUE}: This means all hard dependencies plus \code{Suggests} for direct installations, and hard dependencies only for dependent packages. \item \code{FALSE}: no dependencies are installed at all. \item \code{NA} (any atomic type, so \code{NA_character_}, etc. as well): only hard dependencies are installed. \item If a list with two entries named \code{direct} and \code{indirect}, it is taken as the requested dependency types, for direct installations and dependent packages. \item If a character vector, then it is taken as the dependency types for direct installations, and the hard dependencies are used for the dependent packages. }

If \code{"hard"} is included in the value or a list element, then it is replaced by the hard dependency types. If \code{"soft"} or \code{"all"} is included, then it is replaced by all hard and soft dependency. \subsection{Extra dependencies}{

pak supports extra dependency types for direct installations not from CRAN-like repositories. These are specified with a \verb{Config/Needs/} prefix in the \code{DESCRIPTION} and they can contain package references, separated by commas. For example you can specify packages that are only needed for the pkgdown website of the package:

\if{html}{\out{

}}\preformatted{Config/Needs/website: r-lib/pkgdown }\if{html}{\out{

}}

To use these dependency types, you need to specify them in the \code{dependencies} argument to pak functions.

Note that \verb{Config/Needs/*} fields are currently \emph{not} used from CRAN packages, and packages in CRAN-like repositories in general.

Usually you specify that a \verb{Config/Needs/*} dependency type should be installed together with \code{"hard"} or \code{"all"}, to install all hard or soft dependencies as well. }

r-lib/depends documentation built on April 14, 2025, 1:59 a.m.