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Check which targets are outdated.

Source: R/tar_outdated.R
tar_outdated.Rd

Checks for outdated targets in the pipeline, targets that will be rerun automatically if you call tar_make() or similar. See tar_cue() for the rules that decide whether a target needs to rerun.

Usage

tar_outdated(
  names = NULL,
  shortcut = targets::tar_config_get("shortcut"),
  branches = FALSE,
  targets_only = TRUE,
  reporter = targets::tar_config_get("reporter_outdated"),
  seconds_reporter = targets::tar_config_get("seconds_reporter_outdated"),
  seconds_interval = targets::tar_config_get("seconds_interval"),
  callr_function = callr::r,
  callr_arguments = targets::tar_callr_args_default(callr_function, reporter),
  envir = parent.frame(),
  script = targets::tar_config_get("script"),
  store = targets::tar_config_get("store")
)

Arguments

names

Names of the targets. tar_outdated() will check these targets and all upstream ancestors in the dependency graph. Set names to NULL to check/build all the targets (default). The object supplied to names should be NULL or a tidyselect expression like any_of() or starts_with() from tidyselect itself, or tar_described_as() to select target names based on their descriptions.

shortcut

Logical of length 1, how to interpret the names argument. If shortcut is FALSE (default) then the function checks all targets upstream of names as far back as the dependency graph goes. If TRUE, then the function only checks the targets in names and uses stored metadata for information about upstream dependencies as needed. shortcut = TRUE increases speed if there are a lot of up-to-date targets, but it assumes all the dependencies are up to date, so please use with caution. Also, shortcut = TRUE only works if you set names.

branches

Logical of length 1, whether to include branch names. Including branches could get cumbersome for large pipelines. Individual branch names are still omitted when branch-specific information is not reliable: for example, when a pattern branches over an outdated target.

targets_only

Logical of length 1, whether to just restrict to targets or to include functions and other global objects from the environment created by running the target script file (default: _targets.R).

reporter

Character of length 1, name of the reporter to user. Controls how messages are printed as targets are checked.

The default value of reporter is the value returned by tar_config_get("reporter_outdated"). The default of tar_config_get("reporter_outdated") is "terse" if the calling R session is either:

  1. Non-interactive (`interactive()` returns `FALSE`), or
  2. Inside a literate programming document
    (the `knitr.in.progress` global option is `TRUE`).

Otherwise, the default is "balanced". You can always set the reporter manually. Choices:

* `"balanced"`: a reporter that balances efficiency
  with informative detail.
  Uses a `cli` progress bar instead of printing messages
  for individual dynamic branches.
  To the right of the progress bar is a text string like
  "22.6s, 4510+, 124-" (22.6 seconds elapsed, 4510 targets
  detected as outdated so far,
  124 targets detected as up to date so far).

  For best results with the balanced reporter, you may need to
  adjust your `cli` settings. See global options `cli.num_colors`
  and `cli.dynamic` at
  <https://cli.r-lib.org/reference/cli-config.html>.
  On that page is also the `CLI_TICK_TIME` environment variable
  which controls the time delay between progress bar updates.
  If the delay is too low, then overhead from printing to the console
  may slow down the pipeline.
* `"terse"`: like `"balanced"`, except without a progress bar.
* `"silent"`: print nothing.

seconds_reporter

Deprecated on 2025-03-31 (targets version 1.10.1.9010).

seconds_interval

Deprecated on 2023-08-24 (targets version 1.2.2.9001). Use seconds_meta_append and seconds_meta_upload instead.

callr_function

A function from callr to start a fresh clean R process to do the work. Set to NULL to run in the current session instead of an external process (but restart your R session just before you do in order to clear debris out of the global environment). callr_function needs to be NULL for interactive debugging, e.g. tar_option_set(debug = "your_target"). However, callr_function should not be NULL for serious reproducible work.

callr_arguments

A list of arguments to callr_function.

envir

An environment, where to run the target R script (default: _targets.R) if callr_function is NULL. Ignored if callr_function is anything other than NULL. callr_function should only be NULL for debugging and testing purposes, not for serious runs of a pipeline, etc.

The envir argument of tar_make() and related functions always overrides the current value of tar_option_get("envir") in the current R session just before running the target script file, so whenever you need to set an alternative envir, you should always set it with tar_option_set() from within the target script file. In other words, if you call tar_option_set(envir = envir1) in an interactive session and then tar_make(envir = envir2, callr_function = NULL), then envir2 will be used.

script

Character of length 1, path to the target script file. Defaults to tar_config_get("script"), which in turn defaults to _targets.R. When you set this argument, the value of tar_config_get("script") is temporarily changed for the current function call. See tar_script(), tar_config_get(), and tar_config_set() for details about the target script file and how to set it persistently for a project.

store

Character of length 1, path to the targets data store. Defaults to tar_config_get("store"), which in turn defaults to _targets/. When you set this argument, the value of tar_config_get("store") is temporarily changed for the current function call. See tar_config_get() and tar_config_set() for details about how to set the data store path persistently for a project.

Value

Names of the outdated targets.

Details

Requires that you define a pipeline with a target script file (default: _targets.R). (See tar_script() for details.)

Storage access

Several functions like tar_make(), tar_read(), tar_load(), tar_meta(), and tar_progress() read or modify the local data store of the pipeline. The local data store is in flux while a pipeline is running, and depending on how distributed computing or cloud computing is set up, not all targets can even reach it. So please do not call these functions from inside a target as part of a running pipeline. The only exception is literate programming target factories in the tarchetypes package such as tar_render() and tar_quarto().

See also

Other inspect: tar_deps(), tar_manifest(), tar_network(), tar_sitrep(), tar_validate()

Examples

if (identical(Sys.getenv("TAR_EXAMPLES"), "true")) { # for CRAN
tar_dir({ # tar_dir() runs code from a temp dir for CRAN.
tar_script(list(tar_target(x, 1 + 1)))
tar_outdated()
tar_script({
  library(targets)
  library(tarchetypes)
  list(
    tar_target(y1, 1 + 1),
    tar_target(y2, 1 + 1),
    tar_target(z, y1 + y2)
  )
}, ask = FALSE)
tar_outdated()
})
}