R: package vignette not built

Question

Problem

I created a small internal package for my company. To describe hot to use it, I wrote a vignette. But for some reason, the vignette is not built when I hit Install and Restart in RStudio.

Further Information

I use roxygen for the package documentation

Interestingly, the output from Install and Restart says that it is installed:

==> devtools::document(roclets=c('rd', 'collate', 'namespace'))

Updating DataReportR documentation
Loading DataReportR
Documentation completed

==> Rcmd.exe INSTALL --no-multiarch --with-keep.source DataReportR

* installing to library 'C:/Program Files/R/library'
* installing *source* package 'DataReportR' ...
** R
** preparing package for lazy loading
** help
*** installing help indices
** building package indices
** installing vignettes
** testing if installed package can be loaded
* DONE (DataReportR)

devtools::build_vignettes() returns NULL even though the lines
```
Suggests: knitr, rmarkdown
VignetteBuilder: knitr
```
are included in the DESCRIPTION.

The YAML header of the vignette looks like this:

---
title: "My title"
output: rmarkdown::html_vignette
vignette: >
  %\VignetteIndexEntry{Generate LaTeX tables for Data Reports}
  %\VignetteEngine{rmarkdown::render}
  %\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
---

I also tried to force building the vignette by devtools::build(vignettes = TRUE) but nothing changed.

EDIT (changed YAML header):

When I change %\VignetteEngine{rmarkdown::render} to %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown} in the vignette's YAML header, devtools::build_vignettes() works and places the built vignette in /inst/doc/.

However, when I Check the package in RStudio, the check fails at this position:

** installing vignettes
** testing if installed package can be loaded
Error in namespaceExport(ns, exports) : 
  undefined exports: create_var_details, create_var_overview
Error: loading failed
Execution halted
ERROR: loading failed

Both create_var_details and create_var_overview are exported functions. Here an example:

... 
#' @export
#' 
    create_var_details <- function(...
...

With the old header, the checks were fine.

Can you try writing `%\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown}` instead of `%\VignetteEngine{rmarkdown::render}`? I created an small package also time ago and that is the unique difference I have. — R18, Mar 08 '18 at 11:35
@R18: This results in an error during `devtools::check()`: `** testing if installed package can be loaded Error in namespaceExport(ns, exports) : undefined exports: create_var_details, create_var_overview`. But these functions are exported... Also, I use `%\VignetteEngine{rmarkdown::render}` in another project without problems. — der_grund, Mar 08 '18 at 11:37
Are `create_var_details` and `create_var_overview` functions or objects in your code? — R18, Mar 08 '18 at 11:39
exported functions. From the NAMESPACE: `# Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand export(create_var_details) export(create_var_overview)` — der_grund, Mar 08 '18 at 11:42
I remember once, when I deleted the files that `roxygen2`generates and running again the code it worked and the files were generated again. May be is not the case, . . . — R18, Mar 08 '18 at 11:54

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 12 '18 at 12:51

I figured out that R did not find pandoc. Thus, I added the pandoc path to the PATH environment variable. I also changed the vignette enginge to %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown} as suggested in the comments by @R18.

Now the vignette is properly built when I click on Install and Restart in RStudio.

However, checking the package still does not work. See my EDIT to the question. But this in another question: R package: Adding a vignette causes 'undefined exports'

R: package vignette not built

Problem

Further Information

EDIT (changed YAML header):

1 Answers1