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Comparison · Infra & APIs

tealeaves vs testdat

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

tealeaves vs testdat: at a glance

Featuretealeavestestdat
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesplant-physiology, energy-balance, leaf-temperature, unitsdata-validation, unit-testing, testthat, tidyselect
Last editorial update57m ago2h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is tealeaves?

A leaf-temperature model that finished its job in 2020 and has stayed finished

tealeaves solves for leaf temperature from an energy balance, using explicit units to keep parameters consistent and modelling lower and upper leaf surfaces separately so sensible and latent heat loss are computed for each. The package reached its current form in 2020 across versions 1.0.2 to 1.0.5, which added direct or functional sky temperature, dplyr 1.0.0 compatibility, and fixes to a parameter-crossing bug that the new sky temperature function had introduced. The only release since, v1.0.6 in July 2022, corrects a name in the citation file, stops parallel evaluation in a vignette and fixes README links.

Read the full tealeaves trajectory →

What is testdat?

Unit testing for datasets, built on testthat and now bending to its next release.

testdat applies the testthat idiom to data rather than code: expectations that assert properties of a data frame, run as a suite, with results exportable to Excel. Recent releases have been about correctness and upstream compatibility. Expectations are now constructed via new_expectation() ahead of testthat 3.3.0, and expect_base() errors on a missing variable instead of silently passing.

Read the full testdat trajectory →

tealeaves vs testdat: editorial side-by-side

T
tealeaves
INFRA · APIS
0.0

A leaf-temperature model that finished its job in 2020 and has stayed finished

◆ Current state

tealeaves solves for leaf temperature from an energy balance, using explicit units to keep parameters consistent and modelling lower and upper leaf surfaces separately so sensible and latent heat loss are computed for each. The package reached its current form in 2020 across versions 1.0.2 to 1.0.5, which added direct or functional sky temperature, dplyr 1.0.0 compatibility, and fixes to a parameter-crossing bug that the new sky temperature function had introduced. The only release since, v1.0.6 in July 2022, corrects a name in the citation file, stops parallel evaluation in a vignette and fixes README links.

◆ Where it's heading

This is finished scientific software. The arc runs from a 1.0.0 that already described the full model, through a usability decision in 1.0.1 to accept unitless values and assign units rather than demand them, to a 2020 cluster of compatibility and correctness work around publication. Nothing since has touched the model, and the 2022 release is pure paperwork. Its most instructive entry remains 1.0.5, where a new feature silently produced incorrect parameter crossing and the fix arrived with tests to pin the behaviour.

◆ Prediction

Expect nothing unless a dependency or CRAN check forces a release; on this record any such release will be documentation and packaging rather than a change to the energy balance.

T
testdat
INFRA · APIS
0.0

Unit testing for datasets, built on testthat and now bending to its next release.

◆ Current state

testdat applies the testthat idiom to data rather than code: expectations that assert properties of a data frame, run as a suite, with results exportable to Excel. Recent releases have been about correctness and upstream compatibility. Expectations are now constructed via new_expectation() ahead of testthat 3.3.0, and expect_base() errors on a missing variable instead of silently passing.

◆ Where it's heading

The package reached its shape early and has spent the years since sanding it. The design decisions worth noting are all in the past: the move to tidyselect at 0.3.0, the test data pipe at 0.4.0, and the failure messages at 0.4.1 that name which variable failed rather than just reporting a count. Since then activity is sparse and reactive, tracking testthat and R-devel. The two 0.4.3 and 0.4.4 tags arriving ninety minutes apart on the same day is the signature of a release caught by an upstream deadline.

◆ Prediction

The immediate work is finishing the testthat 3.3.0 adaptation. Beyond that the notes give no evidence of new expectation families; the package looks maintained rather than developed.

Alternatives to tealeaves and testdat

Other Infra & APIs 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 tealeaves or testdat.

See all tealeaves alternatives → · See all testdat alternatives →

Recent activity from tealeaves and testdat

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

  1. 9mo agotestdatExpectations rebuilt on new_expectation() for testthat 3.3.0
  2. 9mo agotestdatexpect_base() errors on a missing variable instead of passing
  3. 2y agotestdatGrouped data frames ungrouped before testing
  4. 3y agotestdatFailure messages name the failing variable; expect_depends() added
  5. 4y agotealeavesCitation file, vignette and README fixes
  6. 4y agotestdatTest data pipe lets expectations sit inline in a chain
  7. 4y agotestdatCRAN release moves variable selection to tidyselect
  8. 6y agotealeavesParameter-crossing bug fixed with tests; coverage added
  9. 6y agotealeavesFix for custom sky temperature function being overwritten
  10. 6y agotealeavesSky temperature as value or function; dplyr 1.0.0 compatibility
  11. 7y agotealeavesUnitless parameter values now accepted and assigned units
  12. 7y agotealeavesFirst release: leaf energy balance with per-surface conductances

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between tealeaves and testdat?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. tealeaves and testdat 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 tealeaves better than testdat?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. tealeaves and testdat 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to tealeaves?

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

What are the best alternatives to testdat?

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