R 4.4.0+ Compatibility: renv packages failing to compile due to R_NamespaceRegistry removal #150

Summary

CI/CD builds are failing when attempting to restore the renv dependency cache. The failure occurs during package installation with compilation errors in S7 and vctrs packages, which cascades to fail dependent packages (purrr, broom, dbplyr, ggplot2).

Root Cause

The R API changed in R 4.4.0 with the removal of the R_NamespaceRegistry symbol. The pinned versions of S7 and vctrs in renv.lock were built against earlier R versions and are incompatible with R 4.4.0+.

Compilation Error:

error: 'R_NamespaceRegistry' undeclared (first use in this function)
init.c:99:39: error: 'R_NamespaceRegistry' undeclared

Impact

• Blocks all PR validation builds in this repository
• Affects workflow: .github/workflows/docker_pr_receive.yaml (step: "Fortify renv Cache")
• Container image: ghcr.io/carpentries/workbench-docker:latest uses R 4.4.0+

Example Failure

Job: 93169406703 on PR #149 - docker_pr_receive.yaml workflow

Requested Action

Update the workbench Docker container or renv lockfile to use R package versions compatible with R 4.4.0+:

1. Rebuild/update packages in the renv cache with versions that support R 4.4.0:

   • S7 ≥ 0.2.0
   • vctrs ≥ 0.7.2
   • Dependencies (e.g., rlang)

2. Or downgrade the R version in the workbench Docker container if R 4.4.0 is not required for this lesson.

Technical Details

• Lesson requires R 4.5+ per renv.lock
• The mismatch appears to be between pre-built binaries in the renv cache and the R version in the container image
• Regenerating renv.lock or updating the Docker container's cached packages would resolve this

References

• R 4.4.0 Release Notes: https://www.r-project.org/NEWS.html
• Package: S7 (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=S7)
• Package: vctrs (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vctrs)