List Of data.table Options

[drag05]

I am trying to find an up-to-date list of data.table options along with their default and optional values and meaning.

I think such list should be available in User Manual rather than mentioned in discussions or, in function documentation.

This should be a requirement for any published R package, with the mention "no options available for this package" stated clarly when true. Package pander offers a good start.

Thank you!

[MichaelChirico]

Thanks! It's a reasonable request & good idea.

The "hard" part will be in ensuring such a doc page is kept up to date. We will want to write some static analysis code comparing the package code with the Rd file to ensure they are in sync.

[TysonStanley]

Re the keeping it updated: Seems like a good place for a release check, honestly. I do other checks like this in that process so we could add this to the list if there are no objections.

[MichaelChirico]

I hear you, but

• I think any place requiring manually combing through the codebase is prone to mistakes
• Once we come up with code to help automate the process, it might as well apply as part of CI -- the author best able to adjust the docs if need be is the one that made the change in the first place.

That said, it will be hard to capture "valid values & their meanings" automatically -- that part could still go for a quick check at release time to ensure it's still up-to-date. What's "easy" to do automatically is populate the universe of option names.

[TysonStanley]

Yes, agreed

[Mukulyadav2004]

Hi @MichaelChirico @TysonStanley

I'd like to work on this issue if no one is currently assigned to it. Reading through the discussion, I understand the main goal is not just to create a list of options, but to ensure it's automatically kept in sync.

Here is the plan I've formulated:

Create the Documentation Page: I'll start by finding all data.table options and creating a new documentation file with descriptions for each.

Add an Automated CI Check: I will then write an R script that:

• Scans the .R source files to extract all option names used in getOption() calls.
• Parses the new documentation file to extract all option names.
• Compares the two lists using setdiff(). If they don't match, the script will print the differences and exit with an error code, causing the CI check to fail.

Integrate the Check: This new script will be triggered by adding a new step to the code-quality.yml CI workflow.

This approach should solve the issue of up-to-date list of data.table options.
Please let me know if this plan aligns with your vision. If so, can you please specify the best location for the new CI check script. I think creating a new file at .ci/code-quality-checks.R seems logical, but I'm happy to place it wherever you think is best. Thanks!