Why do I need SVN to install rgl from github using install_github? [duplicate]

Asked 22/12, 2016 at 11:8 Answered 22/12, 2016 at 16:32

It was surprising to find install_github failing with a message "SVN does not seem to be installed on your system" indicating that SVN was needed. This followed the advice from a well-known rgl installation question How do I install the latest version of rgl. I could install it manually, but I did not understand the message and posted the question in the title.

After some messy investigation we found that it was due to a remote configuration line in the rgl package DESCRIPTION file that was not needed. This answer is in the comments to the answer marked correct.

However we also found that much of the guidance in the original question was out-of-date and it has since been modified.

Screen shot:

Cordle answered 22/12, 2016 at 11:8 Comment(8)

Rforge is not Github. If I google "github rgl" the first link description literally says "A copy of the RGL SVN repository". Now, do you need to install SVN to install rgl? I don't think so. Just install from the github mirror if that is up-to-date. Can you use install_github for installing from Rforge? Apparently not, but that's a minor inconvenience at most. – Destructor 22/12, 2016 at 11:17

Well, user2554330 was surprised, and he should know. He is not just any user. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 11:21

I am happy to delete this post if the consensus is that it is trivial. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 11:23

If I wanted to install rgl from source, I'd download the source from CRAN. If I wanted to install the development version, I would install SVN (actually, I already have it installed) and get it directly from R-Forge. – Destructor 22/12, 2016 at 11:27

I know that, that is not the point. The point is that the instructions that said user posted are misleading, and I was seeking to clarify it. If it is intended to be that way, than so be it. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 11:28

Once he takes a look I will delete it, ok? – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 11:30

The repo is an SVN repo. If you follow the chain of functions from install_github you'll see that an S3 generic with an SVN method gets called. You need SVN to install an SVN repo. Obviously, you could just download the source manually. – Destructor 22/12, 2016 at 11:36

Acutally, shouldn't the subdir="pkg/rgl" parameter point install_github at something it can install alone? Looks like a standard R package directory to me. Should not need SVN. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 11:36

Edited: the Github mirror is up to date again, so all of the methods listed in How do I install the latest version of rgl? should be fine. If the server dies again, you can always use install.packages() or use SVN.

The install_github() method should no longer require an SVN install.

Consumerism answered 22/12, 2016 at 16:32 Comment(2)

Yes, also there is a remote dependency in the DESCRIPTION file that demands SVN to install rglwidget. I suppose that was a later addition and the reason for the puzzling error message. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 16:38

The current rgl doesn't need rglwidget, and no longer has that remote dependency. – Consumerism 22/12, 2016 at 18:0

-1

You can install from RForge and any other SVN repo using the proper SVN variant of install_github(). The devtools package has install_svn, and so do the lighter-weight alternatives such as the remotes packages.

But in all these cases you still need ... an SVN client to download from an SVN repo. Which makes some sense.

What you can do, however, using just git is to use the read-only mirror every CRAN package has on GitHub. For rgl the GitHub mirror repo is here and I would expect to be successful in using install_github against that repo.

Inrush answered 22/12, 2016 at 12:23 Comment(7)

I understand all that, but install_github("rforge/rgl,subdir="pkg/rgl") is pointing at an R package. If I grab that directory I can install it locally fine. Why is it even triggering SVN? Seems like what was recommended should work - think it probably did and then it broke. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 15:9

"Doctor doctor it hurts when I do this." The stop doing it. If you insist on using install_github() then I would use the GH repo instead. But I already told you that. – Inrush 22/12, 2016 at 15:11

Also note that you confuse r-forge.r-project.org (a SVN repo) with rforge.net (something else, run by Simon). The rgl is on the former. – Inrush 22/12, 2016 at 15:12

I didn't mention either of those. I mentioned http://github.com/rforge. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 15:22

And I am not in any pain. I am just trying to understand why something that apparently used to work does not work anymore. – Cordle 22/12, 2016 at 15:23

You are making a heroic assumption that the world owes you every CRAN package as a GitHub install. Ever considered that assumption may not hold? Ever wondered why CRAN has tarballs? – Inrush 22/12, 2016 at 15:23

install_github() is a contributed hack, even if it is widely used. It's not official channel. So if it breaks you may need to debug it. The picture is getting a little clearer now (if it worked before). I am done here; if you have new questions ask a new question. Good luck. – Inrush 22/12, 2016 at 15:25

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