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Releases: r-lib/usethis

usethis 3.0.0

29 Jul 12:26
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Transition to cli package for UI

  • The ui_*() functions have been marked as
    superseded.
    External users of these functions are encouraged to use the
    cli package instead.
    The cli package did not have the required functionality when the
    usethis::ui_*() functions were first created, but it does now and it's the
    superior option.
    There is a cli vignette about how to make this transition:
    vignette("usethis-ui", package = "cli").
    usethis no longer uses the ui_*() functions internally, in favor of new
    cli-based helpers that are not exported.

Deprecated function and argument removal

We are removing functions and arguments that were deprecated as of usethis
v2.0.0, which was released in December 2020.

These changes have been in place for a long time now:

  • Switch from git2r to gert (+ credentials).
  • Use of git config and the gh package to infer, e.g., the target repo spec.
  • Pivot towards GitHub Actions and away from Travis and AppVeyor.

Functions that are removed and, where applicable, what to use instead:

  • git_credentials()
  • use_git_credentials()
  • browse_github_token() (do create_github_token())
  • browse_github_pat() (do create_github_token())
  • github_token() (do gh_token_help() or gh::gh_token())
  • pr_pull_upstream() (do pr_merge_main())
  • pr_sync() (do pr_merge_main(); pr_push())
  • use_appveyor()
  • use_appveyor_badge()
  • use_travis()
  • use_travis_badge()
  • browse_travis()
  • use_pkgdown_travis()
  • use_tidy_ci() deprecated in v2.1.0 (do use_tidy_github_actions())
  • use_tidy_labels() deprecated in v2.1.0 (do use_tidy_github_labels())

Function arguments that are removed:

  • create_from_github(auth_token =, credentials =)
  • use_github(auth_token =, credentials =)
  • use_github_labels(repo_spec =, host =, auth_token =)
  • use_github_links(auth_token =, host =)
  • use_github_release(host =, auth_token =)

Other changes

  • use_zip() and use_course() are equipped to handle a ZIP where the parent
    folder is implicit (@burnsal, #1961).

  • use_test_helper() is a new function to create a test helper file
    (@olivroy, #1822).

  • use_cpp11() makes it easier to update NAMESPACE (@pachadotdev, #1921).

  • pr_merge_main() now offers the choice to not open the files with merge
    conflicts (@olivroy, #1720).

  • edit_rstudio_snippets() now accepts yaml snippets (@olivroy, #1941).

  • use_standalone() inserts an improved header that includes the code needed to
    update the standalone file (@krlmlr, #1903).

  • use_release_issue() and use_upkeep() behave better when the user has a
    fork. The user is asked just once to choose between origin and upstream as
    the target repo (#2023).

  • The README templates now recommend pak instead of
    devtools for package installation (@olivroy, #1723).

  • use_github() now knows that you can reuse the name of an earlier repo that
    has since been renamed (@ateucher, #1893).

  • use_git() no longer asks if you want to restart RStudio when using Positron.

  • use_test() and use_r() now work when you are in
    tests/testthat/_snaps/{foo}.md (@olivroy, #1988).

  • The URLs baked into the badge generated by use_coverage(type = "codecov")
    are updated and no longer specify a branch(#2008).

  • usethis::use_version() now tolerates empty lines preceding the
    first section title in the package NEWS file. (#1976)

usethis 2.2.3

19 Feb 16:42
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  • Patch release with changes to .Rd files requested by CRAN.

usethis 2.2.2

06 Jul 04:40
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usethis 2.2.1

24 Jun 01:59
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  • Internal helper cran_version(), used in functions such as
    use_release_checklist() and use_news_md(), is more resilient to situations
    where no CRAN mirror has been set (#1857).

  • Internal usage of numeric_version() now always provides character input,
    rather than relying on implicit as.character() coercion. This is in response
    to a request from CRAN to anticipate future solutions to
    https://bugs.r-project.org/show_bug.cgi?id=18548 (#1869).

usethis 2.2.0

06 Jun 14:33
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New functions

  • use_author() is a new function to introduce a new person into the
    Authors@R field of DESCRIPTION (@avalcarcel9, #833).

  • use_rstudio_preferences() lets you set RStudio preferences programmatically
    (#1518)

  • use_standalone() is a new function that makes it easier to use standalone
    files provided by various low-level tidyverse packages, like rlang (#1654).

  • use_upkeep_issue() is a new function to facilitate regular maintenance of
    your package. Similar to use_release_issue(), it opens an issue in your repo
    with a checklist of maintenance tasks. It will include additional bullets
    if your package includes an upkeep_bullets() function that returns a
    character vector (#1794).

Package development

  • Although nested projects are discouraged, they can be useful in development
    contexts. create_package() now sets the correct package name and returns
    the correct package path for a package nested inside a project (#1647).

  • use_article() no longer adds the rmarkdown package to Suggests. Instead,
    if rmarkdown is not already a dependency, it's added to
    Config/Needs/website. This means that a package that only uses articles
    (vs. vignettes) won't gain an unnecessary dependency on rmarkdown (#1700).

  • use_data() now sets the appropriate minimal R version in DESCRIPTION,
    depending on which serialization format version you choose (@dpprdan, #1672).

  • use_github_links() by default now appends the GitHub url to existing urls in
    in the URL field of DESCRIPTION, rather than replacing existing urls (#1805).

  • use_latest_dependencies() no longer affects Suggests since those
    dependencies are not enforced (#1749).

  • use_news_md() now places "(development version)" in the header of NEWS.md
    if there is a development version number in DESCRIPTION. It also sets the
    first bullet to "Initial CRAN submission" when it looks like a "new" package
    (#1708).

  • use_coverage() no longer adds covr to Suggests, since the test-coverage
    GitHub Actions workflow takes care of installing covr (@Bisaloo, #1851).

Package release

  • use_release_issue() will now remind you to run use_github_links() if
    necessary (@Bisaloo, #1754)

  • use_release_issue() now encourages the creation of NEWS.md prior to
    submission, instead of after (#1755).

  • use_github_release() now automatically pushes to GitHub (if safe) and
    automatically publishes the release, rather than requiring you to edit and
    publish the draft (#1385).

  • use_github_release() no longer fails in the absence of NEWS.md (#1755).

  • use_release_issue() will now remind you to check/close the milestone
    corresponding to the release, if it exists (#1642).

  • use_version() and use_dev_version() gain a push argument to optionally
    push the result after committing. This is used to eliminate a manual step from
    the use_release_issue() checklist (#1385).

  • use_revdep() no longer places an email template, because these days we are
    more likely to communicate with other maintainers about breaking changes via
    GitHub issues and pull requests (#1769).

Package file management

  • rename_files() now also affects files in src/ (#1585).

  • use_r() and use_test() now work with all active files in R/, src/,
    and tests/testthat/ (#1566).

  • use_r() and use_test() now work with files containing . (#1690).

  • use_rcpp(), use_c() and friends now work the same way as use_r() and
    use_test(): they'll take the default file name from the file you currently
    have open in RStudio (#1730).

Git and GitHub

  • create_from_github() will now use an existing .Rproj file if it exists
    anywhere in the repo, not just the root directory. This is useful if you're
    working with repos that contain tools for multiple languages (#1680).

  • git_sitrep() gains two arguments: tool and scope, which enables
    you to limit the report to, for example, tool = "git" or scope = "user".
    The default remains to provide a full report. Also, provides more
    feedback if git user's information is not set, and checks global git-email
    against user-level GitHub PAT (@ijlyttle, #1732, #1714, #1706).

  • git_vaccinated() now treats a path configured as core.excludesFile like
    other user-supplied paths; in particular, any use of the ~/ home directory
    shortcut is expanded via
    fs::path_expand()
    (@dpprdan, #1560).

  • use_github_action() now suggests possible actions when called without
    arguments (#1724).

  • use_github_actions(), use_github_action_check_standard(),
    use_github_action_check_release(), and use_github_action_pr_commands()
    have been deprecated in favour of the new interactive powers of
    use_github_action() (#1724).

Minor improvements and fixes

  • Links to the R Packages book have been updated to the second edition of
    the book (#1689).

  • The SVG badges placed by use_lifecycle() have improved accessibility
    features, i.e. they advertise the lifecycle stage via the aria-label
    attribute (#1554, r-lib/lifecycle#117).

  • use_rscloud_badge() has been deprecated in favour of
    use_posit_cloud_badge(), and both functions now accept the updated url
    format of Posit Cloud projects (#1670).

  • use_rstudio() gains a reformat argument which omits .Rproj settings
    that enforce file formatting conventions, e.g. around whitespace.
    create_from_github() uses this option when it introduces an .Rproj to a
    project that lacks one, making it easier to follow the project's existing
    conventions (#1679).

  • write_over() and use_github_file() gain an overwrite argument (#1748).

Tidyverse-related

  • use_release_issue() now uses internal release_extra_revdeps() to
    add extra revdep sources. Currently only use for internal Posit tooling,
    but we hope to extend to all users in the future (#1610).

  • use_tidy_logo() is a new function that calls use_logo() on the appropriate
    hex sticker PNG file at https://github.com/rstudio/hex-stickers (#1871).

Defunct functions

  • use_tidy_eval() is now defunct because it imports and re-exports a large
    number of functions that are no longer needed in order to do tidy
    evaluation (#1656).

  • use_travis(), use_pkgdown_travis(), browse_travis(), and use_appveyor()
    are now defunct because we no longer recommend Travis or Appveyor. We
    recommend GitHub actions instead (#1517).

usethis 2.1.6

25 May 23:24
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GitHub-related

use_github_action() and friends gain a ref argument, which defaults to the tag of the latest release in https://github.com/r-lib/actions (#1541).

use_github_actions_badge() now uses the same URLs as GitHub does via the "Create status badge" helper in the browser (#1525). This changes the significance of the name argument; now it really must be the name of the workflow configuration file.

All functions error more clearly when the requested operation is not supported for the "theirs" remote configuration (#1588).

Other changes

use_roxygen_md() gains an overwrite argument (#1599).

use_rscloud_badge() is a new function that creates a README badge indicating the repository can be launched in an RStudio Cloud project (@gvelasq, #1584).

use_data() gains an ascii argument, which is passed along to save() (@JosiahParry, #1625).

use_code_of_conduct() has been updated to version 2.1 of the Contributor Covenant (@batpigandme, #1591).

usethis 2.1.5

09 Dec 23:42
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pkgdown-related functions no longer automatically strip a trailing slash from the pkgdown site URL, in order to play more nicely with CRAN's URL checks (#1526).

edit_pkgdown_config() is a new function that opens the pkgdown YAML configuration file for the current Project, if such a file exists.

The error thrown when reporting an unsupported GitHub configuration has been fixed for forward compatibility with a future version of rlang, i.e. what is anticipated to be rlang v1.0.0.

Version 2.1.4 was never released. Version was advanced from 2.1.4 to 2.1.5 strictly for CRAN (re-)submission purposes.

usethis 2.1.3

27 Oct 15:17
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Modified a test to ensure that intermittent GitHub rate limiting does not lead to ungraceful failure on CRAN.

usethis 2.1.2

25 Oct 15:40
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git_default_branch_rename() no longer errors on repos where README exists, but has no badge block.

git_default_branch_rediscover() prunes the defunct remote ref to the old default branch, e.g. origin/master.

Version 2.1.1 was never released. Version was advanced from 2.1.1 to 2.1.2 strictly for CRAN (re-)submission purposes.

usethis 2.1.0

17 Oct 15:11
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Git default branch support

usethis has a more sophisticated understanding of the default branch and gains several functions to support default branch renaming.

  • git_branch_default() has been renamed to git_default_branch(), to place
    it logically in the new family of functions. The old name still works, but
    that won't be true forever.
  • git_default_branch() is much more diligent about figuring out the default
    branch. Instead of only consulting the local repo, now we integrate local info
    with the default branch reported by the upstream or origin remote, if
    applicable.
    • This is intended to surface the case where a project has renamed its default
      branch and the local repo needs sync up with that.
  • git_default_branch_rediscover() is a new function that helps contributors
    update their local repo (and personal fork, if applicable) when a project/repo
    renames its default branch.
  • git_default_branch_rename() is a new function that helps a repo owner
    rename the default branch (both on GitHub and locally).
  • git_default_branch_configure() is a new function to set the new Git
    configuration option init.defaultBranch, which controls the name of the
    initial branch of new local repos.
  • git_sitrep() exposes init.defaultBranch and surfaces the more
    sophisticated analysis of git_default_branch().

Other GitHub-related changes

  • git_sitrep() and gh_token_help() try even harder to help people get on the
    happy path with respect to their GitHub PAT (#1400, #1413, #1488, #1489,
    #1497).

  • The minimum version of gh has been bumped to help / force more people to
    upgrade to the gh version that supports current GitHub PAT formats
    (@ijlyttle, #1454).

  • use_github_file() is a new function related to use_template(). Instead of
    starting from a local file, use_github_file() grabs the contents of an
    arbitrary file on GitHub that the user has permission to read. It supports
    targeting a specific branch, tag, or commit and can follow a symlink (#1407).
    use_github_file() now powers use_github_action() and friends.

  • use_github_release() is much more diligent about using any information left
    behind by devtools::submit_cran() or devtools::release(). Specifically,
    this applies to determining which SHA is to be tagged in the release. And this
    SHA, in turn, determines the consulted versions of DESCRIPTION (for package
    version) and NEWS.md (for release notes) (#1380).

  • use_release_issue() also takes bullets from release_questions(),
    for compatibility with devtools::release().

  • git_vaccinate(), edit_git_ignore(), and git_sitrep() are more careful to
    consult, reveal, and set the core.excludesFile setting in user's Git
    configuration (#1461).

  • use_github_action_check_full() has been removed. It's overkill for the
    majority of R packages, which are better off with use_github_actions() or
    use_github_action_check_standard() (#1490).

  • use_github_pages() and use_pkgdown_github_pages() use a new method for
    creating an empty, orphan gh-pages branch. This is necessary due to new
    GitHub behaviour, where it has become essentially impossible to refer to the
    empty tree (#1472).

  • use_github() can create repositories with "internal" visibility, a feature
    that exists within GitHub Enterprise products (#1505).

Package development

  • use_readme_[r]?md() no longer includes CRAN installation instructions in the
    initial template; instead, we only include GitHub-based install instructions
    or otherwise prompt the user to update instructions (#1507).

  • use_import_from() is a new function that puts @importFrom pkg fun
    directives into a package in a consistent location (@malcolmbarrett, #1377).

  • DESCRIPTION files generated by usethis no longer include LazyData by
    default, as per new CRAN checks; instead, LazyData is now added the first
    time you use use_data() (@malcolmbarrett, #1404).

  • use_tidy_eval() has been updated to reflect current recommendations for
    using (and therefore exposing) tidy eval in other packages (@lionel-, #1445).

  • use_pkgdown() automatically uses Bootstrap 5 if the pkgdown version supports
    it (anticipated for pkgdown 2.0.0).

  • use_lifecycle() now imports lifecycle::deprecated() (#1419).

  • use_code_of_conduct() now requires a contact argument to supply contact
    details for reporting CoC violations (#1269).

  • use_package() no longer guides the user on how to use a dependency when no
    change was made (@malcolmbarrett, #1384).

Aimed at the tidyverse team

These functions are exported for anyone to use, but are aimed primarily at the maintainers of tidyverse, r-lib, and tidymodels packages.

  • use_tidy_dependencies() is a new function that sets up standard dependencies
    used by all tidyverse packages, except those that are designed to be
    dependency free (#1423).

  • use_tidy_upkeep_issue() is a new function similar to use_release_issue()
    that creates a checklist-style issue to prompt various updates (#1416).

  • use_tidy_release_test_env() has been deleted since we no longer recommend
    including test environments in cran-comments.md. There's no evidence that
    CRAN finds it useful, and it's annoying to keep up-to-date (#1365).

  • use_tidy_github_labels() is the new name for use_tidy_labels() (#1430).

  • use_tidy_github_actions() takes over for use_tidy_ci(), which is now
    deprecated.

User-level configuration

  • "usethis.overwrite" is a new option. When set to TRUE, usethis overwrites
    an existing file without asking for user confirmation if the file is inside
    a Git repo. The normal Git workflow makes it easy to see and selectively
    accept/discard any proposed changes. This behaviour is strictly opt-in
    (#1424).

  • Functions that provide code to load packages in your .Rprofile now use
    rlang::check_installed() to make sure the package is installed locally
    (@malcolmbarrett, #1398).

  • edit_rstudio_prefs() and edit_rstudio_snippets() should work now on
    case-sensitive OSes, due to a path fix re: the location of RStudio's config
    files (@charliejhadley, #1420).