R Lifecycle
Guidance for managing R package lifecycle according to tidyverse principles using the...
Install
npx skills add posit-dev/skills --skill r-lifecycle -g -a claude-code -y- Repository
- posit-dev/skills551
- Category
- DevOps
- Updated
- 7d ago
- License
- MIT
- Context cost
- Lightabout 1,344 tokens
- Runs scripts
- No, instructions only
What it does
Guidance for managing R package lifecycle according to tidyverse principles using the lifecycle package. Use when: (1) Setting up lifecycle infrastructure in a package, (2) Deprecating functions or arguments, (3) Renaming functions or arguments, (4) Superseding functions, (5) Marking functions as experimental, (6) Understanding lifecycle stages (stable, experimental, deprecated, superseded), or (7) Writing deprecation helpers for complex scenarios.
R Package Lifecycle Management
Manage function and argument lifecycle using tidyverse conventions and the lifecycle package.
Setup
Check if lifecycle is configured by looking for lifecycle-*.svg files in man/figures/.
If not configured, run:
usethis::use_lifecycle()
This:
- Adds lifecycle to
Importsin DESCRIPTION - Adds
@importFrom lifecycle deprecatedto the package documentation file - Copies badge SVGs to
man/figures/
Lifecycle Badges
Insert badges in roxygen2 documentation:
#' @description
#' `r lifecycle::badge("experimental")`
#' `r lifecycle::badge("deprecated")`
#' `r lifecycle::badge("superseded")`
For arguments:
#' @param old_arg `r lifecycle::badge("deprecated")` Use `new_arg` instead.
Only badge functions/arguments whose stage differs from the package's overall stage.
Deprecating a Function
- Add badge and explanation to
@description:
#' Do something
#'
#' @description
#' `r lifecycle::badge("deprecated")`
#'
#' `old_fun()` was deprecated in mypkg 1.0.0. Use [new_fun()] instead.
#' @keywords internal
- Add
deprecate_warn()as first line of function body:
old_fun <- function(x) {
lifecycle::deprecate_warn("1.0.0", "old_fun()", "new_fun()")
new_fun(x)
}
- Show migration in examples:
#' @examples
#' old_fun(x)
#' # ->
#' new_fun(x)
Deprecation Functions
| Function | When to Use |
|---|---|
deprecate_soft() | First stage; warns only direct users and during tests |
deprecate_warn() | Standard deprecation; warns once per 8 hours |
deprecate_stop() | Final stage before removal; errors with helpful message |
Deprecation workflow for major releases:
