==================================================================================
 New memisc release 0.99.20.1 improves compatibility with RStudio and "tidyverse"
==================================================================================

.. post:: 22 Nov 2019
   :category: software, memisc
   :excerpt: 3

.. previewimage:: view-importer-screenshot-small.png

Release 0.99.20.1. has been published on `CRAN`_. It improves the way the
package interoperates with `RStudio`_ and "tidyverse". In particular:

- A function :rdoc:`memisc::view()` provides a generic interface to the GUI function
  ``View()`` in base *R* and *RStudio*. It makes it possible to extend it to
  data objects of the classes ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`",
  ":rdoc:`memisc::codeplan`",
  ":rdoc:`memisc::description descriptions`", and ":rdoc:`memisc::importer`".

.. figure:: view-importer-screenshot.png
   :figwidth: 100%
   :align: center

   The result of ``view(ZA5702)``, where ``ZA5702`` is an "importer" object
   created by ``spss.file("ZA5702_v2-0-0.sav")``.

- A :rdoc:`memisc::as_tibble()` method for ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`" objects allows to transfer these
  objects more easiliy into the "tidyverse", i.e. facilitates the use of
  functions from these package ecosystem on data sets imported or created with
  *memisc*. An :rdoc:`memisc::as_haven()` function translates ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`" objects into
  "tibbles" with that extra information that the "haven" package adds to
  "tibbles" imported with the help of that package. This should allow to view
  and post-process data imported with *memisc* more or less the same way as if
  the data were imported with "haven".

- When a ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`" object is translated into a data frame using
  :rdoc:`memisc::as.data.frame.data.set as.data.frame()`, :rdoc:`memisc::as_tibble.data.set as_tibble()`,
  :rdoc:`memisc::as_haven()`, or :rdoc:`memisc::viewPrep()` (the
  internal function used by :rdoc:`memisc::view()` to prepare data for being
  viewed) the "description" :rdoc:`memisc::annotation` of the variables (or ":rdoc:`memisc::item`" objects) are retained as
  "label" attributes, so that labels are visible when viewed in *RStudio*.

.. figure:: view-dataset-screenshot.png
      :figwidth: 100%
      :align: center

      The result of ``view(gles2013work)``, where ``gles2013work`` is a "data.set" object
      created by ``subset(ZA5702,...)``.

- A :rdoc:`memisc::List()` function adds names to its elements by deparsing arguments in the
  same way as ``data.frame()`` does.
          
- A new function :rdoc:`memisc::Groups()` allows to split a data frame or a ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`" into
  group based on factors in a more convenient way. There are methods of
  :rdoc:`memisc::with.grouped.data with()`
  and :rdoc:`memisc::within.grouped.data within()` to deal with resulting objects of class "grouped.data". For
  example, the :rdoc:`memisc::within.grouped.data within()` method allows to substract group means from the
  observations within groups. :rdoc:`memisc::withinGroups()` allows to split a data frame or
  "data.set" objects into groups, make within-group computations and recombine
  the groups into the order of the original data frame or ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`" object.

- :rdoc:`memisc::Stata.file()` now handles files in format rev. 117 and
  later as they are created by Stata version later than 13.
            
- User definded missing values are now reported in separate tables in entries
  created by :rdoc:`memisc::codebook()` even if these entries refer to :rdocc:`memisc::item items`
  with
  :rdocc:`memisc::measurement measurement level` "interval" or "ratio".
            
- If the annotation or the labels of a non-item is set to ``NULL`` this no longer
  causes an error.
            
- Changing varible names to lowercase while importing data sets with
  :rdoc:`memisc::Stata.file()`, :rdoc:`memisc::spss.portable.file()`, and
  :rdoc:`memisc::spss.system.file()` is now optional.
            
- Importer methods :rdoc:`memisc::Stata.file()`, :rdoc:`memisc::spss.portable.file()`, and
  :rdoc:`memisc::spss.system.file()` now have optional arguments that allow to deal with
  variable labels or value labels in non-native encoding (e.g. ``CP1252`` on a
  ``utf-8`` platform).
            
- A function :rdoc:`memisc::spss.file()` acts as a common interface to :rdoc:`memisc::spss.portable.file()`
  and :rdoc:`memisc::spss.system.file()`.
            
- The function :rdoc:`memisc::head()` and :rdoc:`memisc::tail()` now work with
  ":rdoc:`memisc::data.set`"
  and ":rdoc:`memisc::importer`"
  objects in the same sensible way as they do with data frames.
            
- The function :rdoc:`memisc::recode()` behaves more coherently: If a labelled vector is the
  result of :rdoc:`memisc::recode()` it gets the :rdocc:`memisc::measurement measurement level`
  "nominal". Factor levels
  explictly created first come first in the order of factor levels.
          
      
.. _CRAN: http://cran.r-project.org/package=memisc     
.. _RStudio: http://rstudio.org