API for copying packages from cache into project about renv

[rpodcast]

Another situation (somewhat related) is when the user bootstraps a project with renv and the cache is used, but later on decides to disable use of the cache with renv::settings$use.cache(FALSE). I would hope that immediately after disabling the cache, the packages from the cache would either be automatically copied or the user would get a prompt to begin the copying process.

[kevinushey]

@rpodcast I implemented that behavior with 98dcfad -- now, toggling the use.cache setting will copy packages to / from the cache as appropriate.

[rpodcast]

Excellent! I just did a quick test and packages were immediately copied to the project dir after running renv::settings$use.cache(FALSE). I'm really digging how snappy and fast renv runs even in this early stage.

[strazto]

Just speaking to this - I have packages that I am only able to install via install_git, which doesn't have a shim for renv.

This results in a private library install, which I'm happy enough with, but my problem is that I can't call renv::settings$use.cache(FALSE), without it throwing me the error "Error: source file '~/.local/share/renv/R-3.5/cache/v2//0.1.6.9001/<long_hash>/' does not exist"

[strazto]

is the fix to instruct Renv to ignore my private packages?

[slopp]

@mstr3336 slightly tangential, but do you have your package available in a CRAN-like repository as well? Or do you plan to? (e.g. miniCRAN, drat, RStudio Package Manager, etc)

[kevinushey]

@mstr3336 Can you be a bit more explicit on what you were trying to do, and what failed? A reproducible example would be helpful.

[kevinushey]

It's worth saying that you should be able to install packages from Git using remotes::install_git("<url>"), and renv should understand how to snapshot + restore such packages.

[strazto]

@kevinushey

@mstr3336 slightly tangential, but do you have your package available in a CRAN-like repository as well? Or do you plan to? (e.g. miniCRAN, drat, RStudio Package Manager, etc)

I don't intend to in the near future, personally I'd be more than okay with publishing it but my boss doesn't want to.

@mstr3336 Can you be a bit more explicit on what you were trying to do, and what failed? A reproducible example would be helpful.

I suppose I could make a reprex with a minimal package skeleton, though making a reprex that captures my work's enterprise server setup is a little less feasible.

The main thing I was trying to do was disable the cache on my work's HPC for portability, because the R project in installed to a folder shared across my team and I didn't want to deal with configuring the cache path to be within the share.

This looked like

install_git("<url>", credentials = "access_token")
# Installs to 'projectroot/renv/library' , 
# rather than to '~/.local/share/renv/R-3.5/cache/v2//0.1.6.9001/<long_hash>/'

renv::settings$use.cache(FALSE)
# "Error: source file '~/.local/share/renv/R-3.5/cache/v2//0.1.6.9001/<long_hash>/' does not exist"

It's worth saying that you should be able to install packages from Git using remotes::install_git("<url>"), and renv should understand how to snapshot + restore such packages.

renv is actually very good at handling my snapshots/restores, though! (A lot less pain than packrat )

[kevinushey]

While the primary request here is solved with renv::settings$use.cache(FALSE), I think we may also want a more direct API (e.g. renv::isolate() or something like that).