Bug with \IfTargetDateBefore and \RequirePackage

[lvjr]

Brief outline of the bug

In the code of ltclass, all packages share the same macro \pkgcls@innerdate which is used by \IfTargetDateBefore. This may cause problems if there is a \RequirePackage with different rollback date before \IfTargetDateBefore.

Minimal example showing the bug

\begin{filecontents}[force]{demo.sty}
\DeclareCurrentRelease{}{2022-02-02}
\IfTargetDateBefore{2022-01-01}{\typeout{old}}{\typeout{new}} % => new 
\RequirePackage{pkg}[=2021-12-12]
\IfTargetDateBefore{2022-01-01}{\typeout{old}}{\typeout{new}} % => old
\end{filecontents}

\begin{filecontents}[force]{pkg.sty}
\DeclareCurrentRelease{}{2021-12-12}
\end{filecontents}

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{demo}[=2022-02-02]

\begin{document}

\end{document}

Log file (required) and possibly PDF file

The first \IfTargetDateBefore types out new but the second \IfTargetDateBefore types out old.

(demo.sty
Rollback for package 'demo' requested -> date 2022-02-02.
         Best approximation is the release introduced on 2022-02-02.

Include code introduced on 2022-01-01
new
(pkg.sty
Rollback for package 'pkg' requested -> date 2021-12-12.
         Best approximation is the release introduced on 2021-12-12.
)
Exclude code introduced on 2022-01-01
old
) 

[FrankMittelbach]

looks like a bug, yes. Such a \RequirePackage would need to undo the innerdate modification at the end.

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity.

[FrankMittelbach]

I looked at this last night and I'm inclined to document this as a limitation of \IfTargetDateBefore, i.e., that you can't use it if your code is explicitly asking for a dated release of some other package. Otherwise one would maintain the information in a stack which seems overkill to me.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity.