Return package URL from .ps.rpc.pkg_list#1261
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Add a `url` field to each package returned by the packages-pane RPC, taken from the first entry of the DESCRIPTION URL field (conventionally the package's canonical website). Positron's Packages pane renders an external-link button from it and validates the scheme before opening. See posit-dev/positron#13890
jennybc
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Jun 10, 2026
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LGTM!
I made a minor stylistic suggestion that leans more into letting NA do its job (indicating missing data), but this isn't a big deal.
I would have thought sending back the same shape all the time might be useful (so always sending url even if it's empty), but having an optional url must be better on the other side.
For any package that is on CRAN, if DESCRIPTION doesn't list a URL, you could fallback to https://cran.r-project.org/package={package}, but then you'd have to determine if it's on CRAN or not, which is extra work. But if you already have easy access to this info, this is an idea.
Co-authored-by: Jennifer (Jenny) Bryan <jenny.f.bryan@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Jennifer (Jenny) Bryan <jenny.f.bryan@gmail.com>
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.ps.rpc.pkg_listnow returns aurlfield for each installed package,taken from the first entry of its DESCRIPTION
URLfield (conventionallythe package's canonical website). The field is omitted when a package
advertises no URL.
This feeds the new external-link button in Positron's Packages pane, which
validates the scheme before opening. Multiple / labeled links (repository,
issues, etc.) are left for a future change.
See posit-dev/positron#13890