Q: What's better for avoiding namespace conflicts: import or the conflicted package?

import focuses on precise, selective importing and renaming, while conflicted makes conflicting functions throw errors to force explicit resolution. Choose import if you want control over what's imported; use conflicted for a stricter, error-driven approach in collaborative projects.

Q: Can I use import in R package development?

Yes, but with caution. You can use import to manage dependencies without exposing all functions, but it must be listed in Imports or Depends. Some CRAN guidelines may prefer base R methods, so check package policies to avoid issues.

Question 1

How do I import functions from a package using a variable name in import?

Accepted Answer

Use the .character_only=TRUE parameter. For example, if pkg <- 'dplyr', call import::from(pkg, select, .character_only=TRUE). This forces import to treat the package name as a character string instead of a symbol, enabling programmatic imports.

Question 2

What's better for avoiding namespace conflicts: import or the conflicted package?

Accepted Answer

import focuses on precise, selective importing and renaming, while conflicted makes conflicting functions throw errors to force explicit resolution. Choose import if you want control over what's imported; use conflicted for a stricter, error-driven approach in collaborative projects.

Question 3

Can I use import in R package development?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but with caution. You can use import to manage dependencies without exposing all functions, but it must be listed in Imports or Depends. Some CRAN guidelines may prefer base R methods, so check package policies to avoid issues.

Question 4

How to import the %>% operator from magrittr with import?

Accepted Answer

Operators must be quoted in import calls. For example, use import::from(magrittr, '%>%', '%$%', .into='operators'). This places the operators in a custom search path entity, keeping them accessible without cluttering the global namespace.

Question 5

Does import add performance overhead compared to library()?

Accepted Answer

Import can have minor overhead because it creates separate entities in the search path and processes imports dynamically. However, for most use cases, the impact is negligible, and the benefits of reduced namespace conflicts often outweigh performance concerns.

Question 6

How do I remove imported functions after using import?

Accepted Answer

Imported functions are placed in the search path (e.g., in an 'imports' entity). To remove them, detach the entity using detach('imports') or restart your R session. Import doesn't provide a built-in cleanup function, so manual management is required.

Question 7

What happens if I import a function that masks an existing one without renaming?

Accepted Answer

The imported function will mask the existing one based on search path order, potentially causing unexpected behavior. Always use renaming (e.g., keep_when = filter) or check conflicts with import::what() to avoid issues in your code.

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