[Rd] Wishlist: 'quietly' argument for .onAttach() / .First.lib()

[Peter Ruckdeschel]

Andy Liaw wrote:
> From: Prof Brian Ripley
> >/ 
> />/ On Thu, 13 Apr 2006, Peter Ruckdeschel wrote:
> />/ 
> />/ > Hi R-devels,
> />/ >
> />/ > in "Writing R extensions" as well as in the help
> />/ > to .onAttach(), you mention that one could
> />/ > use this function to issue a start-up message/banner
> />/ > for the package.
> />/ >
> />/ > My little wish for Easter:
> />/ >
> />/ > a 'quietly'-type argument for .onAttach() / .First.lib() which is 
> />/ > passed through by functions
> />/ > require() and library() respectively,
> />/ > and by means of which one could optionally
> />/ > suppress this start-up message/banner .
> />/ >
> />/ > Is this hard to do?
> />/ 
> />/ I believe so (and think we have been here before). /
sorry, but I did not find anything on it ---
probably I searched for the wrong keywords.
> /> The //documented call //sequence is
> />/ 
> />/       .onLoad(libname, pkgname)
> />/       .onAttach(libname, pkgname)
> />/ 
> />/ the same as .First.lib.  There is no way to add an argument 
> />/ here, as many //existing packages do not support it.  
> /
Couldn't a reasonable default value (probably FALSE ) catch this?
> /> Beyond that, how would / /you pass the 
> />/ argument in?  Namespaces and packages are often 
> />/ loaded/attached implicitly //as a result of loading other packages.
> /
oK this is an issue --- no idea for this.
> >/ I did think you could make use of an option to decide whether 
> />/ to the print //the message or not, 
> /
This is probably the cleanest solution.
> /> but I have always assumed that those who 
> />/ did want a //banner probably did not want it suppressed.
> /
> That certainly is the case with randomForest, speaking for myself
> here.  The banner I put in contains the version number of the 
> package and a reminder to see what's been changed/fixed.  I have 
> not seen a compelling reason why suppressing such information is 
> necessary (as opposed to "desirable").  I believe reporting 
> version number upon startup is a Good Thing, as all too often 
> people ask questions or report problems about packages without
> mentioning the version of the packages they used.  I see this as
> a way of reminding the users.
>   
I completely agree as to package version information
and pointers to NEWS / more information on the package.

My wish is motivated by something else ---  call it
 
           /"scalable start-up message"/

In a discussion with Martin Maechler, he proposed to alert/warn
the user in some prominent place about the interpretation of
arithmetics operating on distributions in our package "distr".

I have been thinking about this "prominent place" for some time
and found that an .onAttach() message might be the right place.

A user, however, who is already used to this interpretation, will soon
find this (extended) start-up message annoying and will want to
suppress it.

I could do this with a "hand-made" option but thought this might
be of more general interest.

Thank you for your attention,
Peter