Package Name

Covers: Chapter 2 - Choosing a package name.

Core rules

• The package name must match the GitHub repository name and is case-sensitive.
• The name must be unique: it must not already exist in Bioconductor (checked case-insensitively) or on CRAN.
• The name should be descriptive of the package’s purpose.
• Reusing archived or deprecated package names is strongly discouraged and often will not be allowed.

How to check availability

• Try installing the proposed name; the install should FAIL if the name is free:

  BiocManager::install("MyPackage")
  

• Alternatively, search the Bioconductor code base / package listings directly.
• Check for unintended meanings in other languages using a tool such as wordsafety.com.

Names to avoid (forbidden / disallowed patterns)

• Names that create confusion with an existing package, function, or class name.
• Names implying temporal relationships (e.g., ExistingPackage2) or qualitative upgrades (e.g., ExistingPackagePlus).
• Hate speech, slurs, or profanity.
• References to historical, ethical, or political contexts.
• Names invoking well-known people, characters, brands, places, or icons.
• Names with unintended meanings in foreign languages.

Renaming

• Bioconductor discourages renaming a package after acceptance.
• Renaming requires deprecating the old package and resubmitting for review, which is time-consuming. Choose carefully up front.

Source: Package name Fetched 2026-08-14 from contributions.bioconductor.org (Bioconductor devel guide).