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Comparison · Analytics

checklist vs cyclocomp

A side-by-side editorial comparison of checklist and cyclocomp — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:r-package

checklist vs cyclocomp: at a glance

Featurechecklistcyclocomp
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesquality-control, r-package, research-metadata, inbostatic-analysis, code-complexity, linting, r-package
Last editorial update1h ago28m ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is checklist?

An institutional R quality-control package that just split its citation half into its own tool.

checklist enforces coding, documentation and metadata standards for R packages and projects at INBO, the Flemish research institute for nature and forest, and runs as both a local tool and a GitHub Action. Much of its work concerns research-output metadata — Zenodo deposits, DOIs, ORCID, ROR identifiers, organisation records — rather than code style. Its most recent major release removed that entire area from the package.

Read the full checklist trajectory →

What is cyclocomp?

A cyclomatic complexity checker that ships once every couple of years, and lands when it does.

cyclocomp measures cyclomatic complexity of R functions and packages, and is best known as the engine behind lintr's complexity rule. It has three releases in the visible window spread across nearly three years. The current one, 1.1.2, adds a quiet argument to cyclocomp_package_dir(); the two before it, shipped a day apart in 2023, added a large speedup and the package-directory entry point itself.

Read the full cyclocomp trajectory →

checklist vs cyclocomp: editorial side-by-side

C
checklist
ANALYTICS
0.0

An institutional R quality-control package that just split its citation half into its own tool.

◆ Current state

checklist enforces coding, documentation and metadata standards for R packages and projects at INBO, the Flemish research institute for nature and forest, and runs as both a local tool and a GitHub Action. Much of its work concerns research-output metadata — Zenodo deposits, DOIs, ORCID, ROR identifiers, organisation records — rather than code style. Its most recent major release removed that entire area from the package.

◆ Where it's heading

The direction is decomposition. An organisation class was first superseded by a more structured pair of classes, and then the whole citation and deposit surface moved out to a separate citeme package, leaving checklist focused on project and package checking. The sibling INBOmd package picked up the new dependency within a week, which is how this family propagates a change. What remains here is narrower and more clearly named than what it started with.

◆ Prediction

Expect checklist to continue tightening its remaining project-checking scope, with further citation and metadata work landing in citeme rather than here.

C
cyclocomp
ANALYTICS
0.0

A cyclomatic complexity checker that ships once every couple of years, and lands when it does.

◆ Current state

cyclocomp measures cyclomatic complexity of R functions and packages, and is best known as the engine behind lintr's complexity rule. It has three releases in the visible window spread across nearly three years. The current one, 1.1.2, adds a quiet argument to cyclocomp_package_dir(); the two before it, shipped a day apart in 2023, added a large speedup and the package-directory entry point itself.

◆ Where it's heading

This is a small tool that reached feature-complete and now moves only when a downstream consumer needs something. Every change in the window is externally contributed, and each addresses a concrete integration need: a function that works on a local package tree rather than an installed one, complexity results sorted so the worst offenders come first, and output suppression for programmatic callers. The 2023 pair shipped a day apart because the new entry point immediately exposed a performance problem on long linear code.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next change to arrive the same way, as a contributed patch serving a linting or CI workflow rather than as planned development.

Alternatives to checklist and cyclocomp

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either checklist or cyclocomp.

See all checklist alternatives → · See all cyclocomp alternatives →

Recent activity from checklist and cyclocomp

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1mo agochecklistOrganisation now passed correctly when creating a package skeleton
  2. 1mo agochecklistCitation and Zenodo functions split out into the citeme package
  3. 5mo agocyclocompcyclocomp_package_dir() gains a quiet argument
  4. 5mo agochecklistZenodo deposits gain publisher, EU grant IDs and ROR handling
  5. 7mo agochecklistContributing and conduct files created only when requested
  6. 8mo agochecklistGitHub Action restores renv environments and installs system dependencies
  7. 8mo agochecklistorganisation class superseded by org_list and org_item
  8. 2y agocyclocompLarge speedup on long linear code
  9. 2y agocyclocompComplexity checks run against a local package tree

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between checklist and cyclocomp?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. checklist and cyclocomp are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is checklist better than cyclocomp?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. checklist and cyclocomp are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to checklist?

Top checklist alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "checklist alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/checklist for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to cyclocomp?

Top cyclocomp alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "cyclocomp alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cyclocomp for the full list with editorial commentary on each.