Tern CRAN Checks Encounter Errors

An Unexpected Hiccup in the tern Package Development

It looks like we've hit a bit of a snag in the tern package's journey. Recently, the CRAN checks, which are super important for making sure our R packages are stable and reliable, flagged an issue. Specifically, on 2025-12-21, the checks for the tern package revealed one or more ERRORs. This isn't ideal, but it's exactly why these checks are in place – to catch problems before they affect the broader R community. The CRAN check system is quite rigorous, testing packages across various R versions and operating systems to ensure they work seamlessly everywhere. Seeing an ERROR means something more significant than a minor warning has been detected, and it typically prevents the package from being accepted into the CRAN repository until it's resolved. The team behind tern is dedicated to maintaining high quality, so this is a priority to address. We're looking into the specifics of what caused these errors and will be working diligently to implement fixes. It's a normal part of the software development lifecycle, even for established packages, and our goal is always to provide a robust and dependable tool for everyone using R for their data analysis and research.

Understanding CRAN Checks and Why They Matter

CRAN checks are the gatekeepers of the R package universe, ensuring that every package available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) meets a high standard of quality, functionality, and compatibility. When developers submit their packages, CRAN runs a battery of automated tests on them. These tests simulate various scenarios, including different R versions (like r-devel, r-patched, and r-release), operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux), and architectures (like 64-bit). The goal is to catch any potential bugs, memory leaks, performance issues, or violations of CRAN policies before the package reaches users. A status of OK means the package passed all tests for that particular configuration. A NOTE might indicate a minor issue or a suggestion for improvement, while a WARNING points to a more probable problem. However, an ERROR is the most serious flag, indicating a critical failure that prevents the package from working as intended or even installing properly. In the case of tern, the ERROR was specifically noted on the r-release-linux-x86_64 configuration. This means that on the standard, stable release version of R running on a Linux 64-bit system, the package failed critical tests. While other configurations like r-devel (the development version of R) and macOS/Windows releases passed with OK status, the failure on the r-release channel is a key concern because it affects the most common and widely used R environment. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for developers to pinpoint the exact environment where the issue occurs, allowing for more targeted debugging and faster resolution. The detailed logs provided by CRAN are invaluable in this process, offering step-by-step information about where the checks failed.

The Specifics of the 'tern' CRAN Check Failure

Let's dive a little deeper into what the CRAN check results for tern tell us. The table provides a snapshot of how the package performed across different environments. We can see that most configurations, including the development version of R (r-devel) on various Linux distributions and macOS and Windows r-release versions, passed with an OK status. This is positive news, suggesting that the core functionality of tern is likely sound and broadly compatible. However, the critical failure occurred on r-release-linux-x86_64, which is a very important check because it represents the standard, stable R environment on Linux, a popular platform for R users. The r-release version signifies the current stable version of R, and linux-x86_64 is the most common setup for many users. An ERROR here means that tern could not be successfully installed or checked under these conditions. Additionally, we see NOTEs on some r-oldrel (old release) configurations for macOS and Windows. While NOTEs are less critical than ERRORs, they still warrant attention, often related to style, documentation, or minor potential compatibility issues with older R versions. The r-oldrel checks are important for maintaining backward compatibility, ensuring that users who haven't updated their R version in a while can still use the package. The fact that the ERROR is isolated to the r-release-linux-x86_64 environment suggests the issue might be related to a specific dependency, a change in the Linux toolchain, or an interaction with a particular R version feature that is present in the r-release but not in r-devel or vice-versa, or perhaps a platform-specific behavior. The provided link to the detailed CRAN logs (https://cran.r-project.org/web/checks/check_results_tern.html) is the next step for the development team to understand the root cause. These logs often contain the exact error messages, function calls that failed, and system information, which are indispensable for effective debugging.

Moving Forward: Addressing the Errors and Ensuring Stability

Discovering an ERROR in CRAN checks is a signal, not a defeat. For the tern package, the immediate next step is a thorough investigation into the logs provided by CRAN for the r-release-linux-x86_64 failure. Developers will meticulously examine the error messages, traceback information, and any accompanying output to pinpoint the exact cause. This might involve a specific function behaving unexpectedly, a conflict with a system library, or an issue with how tern interacts with other packages in that particular R environment. Once the cause is identified, the team will implement the necessary code changes or configuration adjustments to resolve the error. This could range from a simple syntax fix to a more complex architectural change. After the fixes are made, the package will be resubmitted for CRAN checking. The process is iterative; it might take a few rounds of checks and fixes to ensure the ERROR is completely resolved and that no new issues have been introduced. The NOTEs on older R versions will also be addressed to ensure broad compatibility and adherence to CRAN best practices. The ultimate goal is to have tern pass all CRAN checks across all specified configurations, guaranteeing its reliability and usability for the entire R community. The insightsengineering and tern communities are committed to transparency and collaboration, so updates on the progress will likely be shared. We appreciate the rigorous nature of CRAN checks, as they ultimately lead to more robust and dependable software for everyone. For those interested in the ongoing development and maintenance of R packages, the CRAN website is an excellent resource to learn more about the submission and checking process.

For more information on R package development and CRAN policies, you can visit the official CRAN website. You can also find valuable insights into best practices for package development and maintenance within the R-}^{Insights-Engineering-Group's-GitHub-repository, which often discusses such development topics.