cran-guide

CRAN Package Discovery Guide

Find and compare R packages via WebFetch.

When to Use

When the user needs to find the right R package for a task, or wants to explore what's available.

Execution Steps (IMPORTANT!)

You MUST WebFetch official sources - never recommend packages from memory alone!

Step 1: Identify the domain or task

The user's query: $ARGUMENTS

Step 2: WebFetch relevant sources

For domain exploration — CRAN Task Views:

Domain	URL
Bayesian	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Bayesian.html
ClinicalTrials	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ClinicalTrials.html
Cluster	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Cluster.html
Databases	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Databases.html
Econometrics	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Econometrics.html
ExperimentalDesign	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ExperimentalDesign.html
Finance	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Finance.html
HighPerformanceComputing	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/HighPerformanceComputing.html
MachineLearning	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/MachineLearning.html
MetaAnalysis	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/MetaAnalysis.html
MixedModels	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/MixedModels.html
NaturalLanguageProcessing	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/NaturalLanguageProcessing.html
Psychometrics	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Psychometrics.html
ReproducibleResearch	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ReproducibleResearch.html
Spatial	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Spatial.html
Survival	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Survival.html
TimeSeries	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/TimeSeries.html
WebTechnologies	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/WebTechnologies.html

Full list of Task Views: https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/

For a specific package: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/index.html

For package search:

• https://www.rdocumentation.org/search?q={query}
• https://rdrr.io/search?q={query}

Step 3: Present recommendations

## Recommended Packages for {Task}

| Package | Description | Downloads | Maintained |
|---------|-------------|-----------|------------|
| {pkg1} | ... | ... | ... |
| {pkg2} | ... | ... | ... |

### Recommendation
[Which package to use and why]

### Installation
```r
install.packages(c("{pkg1}", "{pkg2}"))

## Important Reminders

- **Always WebFetch** CRAN or Task Views - don't recommend packages from memory
- Check if packages are actively maintained (last update date)
- Mention if a package is part of tidyverse or has known alternatives