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categorize-revdep-issues

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Write revdep/issue.md to group packages by common error categories

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Categorize Reverse Dependency Issues

Write revdep/issue.md to group packages by common error categories based on the error output in revdep/problems.md and revdep/failures.md.

What This Skill Does

This skill analyzes reverse dependency check results and writes out an issue tracking file to group packages by their error types, making it easier to:

  • Identify common problems across packages
  • Understand which issues are dplyr-related vs external dependencies
  • Prioritize fixes based on error patterns
  • Provide clear guidance to package maintainers

Files Involved

Input files:

  • revdep/README.md - The New problems section lists the packages to group
  • revdep/problems.md - Detailed error output for packages with test/check issues
  • revdep/failures.md - Installation failures and error messages

Output file:

  • revdep/issue.md - File to write packages grouped by error category to, may need to be created

Process

Step 1: Read All Input Files

Read all input files in parallel to understand the complete error landscape.

Step 2: Analyze and Categorize Errors

Group packages by their primary error cause. Common categories include:

Issues related to changes in our package:

  • Missing exports
  • Defunct functions
  • Defunct function arguments
  • Missing Rd cross-references to removed functions

Issues unrelated to changes we have made:

  • Missing exports from other packages (e.g., purrr::at_depth)
  • Dependency issues
  • Compilation failures (C++, Rust)
  • Other packages that passed or have unclear status

Step 3: Create Category Structure

For each category:

  1. Create an H2 header with a descriptive category name
  2. Write a brief description explaining:
    • What the issue is
    • Why it's happening
    • Suggested solution or migration path
  3. List all affected packages in checkbox format

Step 4: Write the New File

Format requirements:

## Category Name

Brief description of the issue and solution approach.

* [ ] [package1](url1)
* [ ] [package2](url2)
...

If you must include package specific comments, do so like:

## Category Name

Brief description of the issue and solution approach.

* [ ] [package1](url1)
  * Comments about package1.
* [ ] [package2](url2)
...

Do not include package specific comments in the Brief description section.

Critical constraints:

  • MUST preserve ALL packages from the README.md's New problems section
  • Each package appears in exactly ONE category
  • Maintain checkbox format: * [ ] [package](url)
  • Order categories by relevance (common issues first)
  • Use "Other issues requiring investigation" for unclear cases

Quality Checks

After completing the rewrite, verify:

  • Total package count in new file matches the README.md's New problems section
  • Each package from original appears exactly once in new file
  • Each category has a clear H2 header and description
  • Packages are in checkbox format with correct URLs
  • Categories are logically ordered
  • Common patterns are grouped together

Example Category

## Missing export: `dplyr::id`

Packages using `dplyr::id` which is not exported. These packages get "no visible binding for global variable 'id'" errors.

* [ ] [packageA](https://github.com/userA/packageA)
* [ ] [packageB](https://github.com/userB/packageB)