# R: Listing of Packages

zpackages {base} | R Documentation

## Listing of Packages

### Description

`.packages` returns information about package availability.

### Usage

    .packages(all.available = FALSE, lib.loc = NULL)

### Arguments

`all.available` | logical; if `TRUE` return a character vector of all available packages in `lib.loc`.
`lib.loc` | a character vector describing the location of R library trees to search through, or `NULL`. The default value of `NULL` corresponds to all libraries currently known.

### Details

`.packages()` returns the base names of the currently attached packages invisibly whereas `.packages(all.available = TRUE)` gives (visibly) all packages available in the library location path `lib.loc`. For a package to be regarded as being available it must have a ‘DESCRIPTION’ file containing a valid `version` field.

### Value

A character vector of package base names, invisible unless `all.available = TRUE`.

### Author(s)

R core; Guido Masarotto for the `all.available=TRUE` part of `.packages`.

### See Also

`library`, `.libPaths`.

### Examples

    (.packages())               # maybe just "base"
    .packages(all.available = TRUE) # return all available as character vector
    require(splines)
    (.packages())               # "splines", too
    detach("package:splines")

[Package base version 2.6.0 Index]