github actions failing on Mac devel because dplyr and tidyr are not available

[r_alanb]

I have a package I'm working on that the R-CMD-check fails on macOS-latest (devel) because dplyr and tidyr are not available. See https://github.com/rabutler-usbr/knnstdisagg/runs/552880924.

It looks like the macOS devel builds are also failing for tidyr because dplyr is not available: https://github.com/tidyverse/tidyr/runs/551159156?check_suite_focus=true

However, the macOS devel builds are working for dplyr: https://github.com/tidyverse/dplyr/runs/552712931?check_suite_focus=true

I'm looking to understand why this is occurring a bit more if anyone can offer any details/explanation. Thanks.

[technocrat]

Devel versions often fail to compile on macOS because they haven't been precompiled. The same for those that graduate to CRAN. Saint Simon Urbanek of the R Core Development Team takes on the brain damage required to recode the source to get around Apple's idiosyncratic dialects of compiler for those in CRAN, but he can't bestow the same mercy on those still in development.

However, if you have a working devel dplyr, I'd guess (I'm not a package jockey) that there could be a namespace problem for the right version? Can you make your package only suggest?

[jimhester]

They are 'not available' because they failed to compile, see https://github.com/rabutler-usbr/knnstdisagg/runs/552880924#step:8:2460. They failed to compile due to a bug in the CRAN version of Rcpp.

Also the devel version of dplyr works because it no longer uses Rcpp.

[r_alanb]

Thanks both for the explanation and quick responses.