Update documentation

R/replace_blanks.R

@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-#' Replaces all blank cells with NA
+#' Replaces all blank cells a missing value code of your choice
 #'
-#' @details `replace_blanks()` is particularly useful for exporting data from a
-#' database (such as access) and converting it to a data package with metadata.
+#' @description `replace_blanks()` is particularly useful for exporting data
+#' from a database (such as access) and converting it to a data package with
+#' metadata.
 #'
 #' `replace_blanks()` will import all .csv files in the specified working
 #' directory. The files are then written back out to the same directory,
@@ -10,9 +11,23 @@
 #' If no missing value is specified, the function defaults to replacing all
 #' blanks with "NA".
 #'
-#' One exception is if a .csv contains NO data (i.e. just column names and no
-#' data in any of the cells). In this case, the blanks will not be replaced with
-#' NA (as the function cannot determine how many NAs to include).
+#' Please keep in mind the "missing" is a general term for all data
+#' not present in the data file or data package. Although you may have a very
+#' good reason for not providing data and that data may not, from the data
+#' package creator's perspective, be "missing" (maybe you never intended to
+#' collect it) from a data package user's perspective any data that is not in
+#' the data package is effectively "missing" from the data package. Therefore,
+#' it is critical to document in metadata any data that are absent with an
+#' appropriate "missingValueCode" and "missingValueDefinition". These terms are
+#' defined by the metadata schema and are broadly used to apply to any data not
+#' present.
+#'
+#' This function will replace all empty cells and all cells with NA with a
+#' "missingValueCode" of your choice (although it defaults to NA).
+#'
+#' @details One exception is if a .csv contains NO data (i.e. just column names
+#' and no data in any of the cells). In this case, the blanks will not be
+#' replaced with NA (as the function cannot determine how many NAs to include).
 #'
 #' @param directory String. Path to the file(s) to have blanks replaced with
 #' NAs. Defaults to the working directory of the project (here::here())