DESCRIPTION File

  • DESCRIPTION file stores important metadata about a package.
    • Required pkgs, what pkg does, maintainer contact info, etc.
    • Myriad of tools interact with DESCRIPTION file; most importantly install.packages("your_package") or remotes::install.github("you_are/your_package")
  • Every package has DESCRIPTION; anything with DESCRIPTION is a package
  • usethis::create_package("mypackage") adds DESCRIPTION file
  • DESCRIPTION file format = DCF (Debian Control Format; see read.dcf)
    • Each line is a field Name: value (the name is typically in proper case)
    • If a value has multiple lines, indent the overflow lines by 4 spaces.
  • {desc} can help with DESCRIPTION files programmatically.