rstudio / rstudio/packrat

install from github fails when trailing blank line in DESCRIPTION

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Dominant language
R
Stars
409
Forks
89
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

devtools::install_github() will fail if there is a blank line between fields in a DESCRIPTION file but it works fine if there is a trailing blank line. See hadley/devtools#383 and hadley/devtools#394.

when packrat installs from GitHub it adds fields to the DESCRIPTION file so if there was already a trailing blank line this becomes a blank line between fields and as such installation fails.

See also Rdatatable/data.table#1202 and Rdatatable/data.table#1118

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  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the failure with devtools::install_github() and a DESCRIPTION file containing a trailing blank line, then inspect the packrat installation path that adds fields to DESCRIPTION. Done means GitHub installation succeeds without creating a blank line between fields when packrat modifies the file.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
r
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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