spatVector values can't be kept as ordered factor

[bennotkin]

I can convert the values of spatVector to ordered factor class, but I can't assign this to the spatVector. Is this as intended?

First, the values can be ordered:

library(terra)
f <- system.file("ex/lux.shp", package="terra")
v <- vect(f)

ordered(v$NAME_1, levels = c("Diekirch", "Grevenmacher", "Luxembourg")) |> is.ordered()
# [1] TRUE
ordered(v$NAME_1, levels = c("Diekirch", "Grevenmacher", "Luxembourg")) |> class()
# [1] "ordered" "factor"

However, if I reassign these values to the spatVector, they are do not persist as ordered:

v$NAME_1 <- ordered(v$NAME_1, levels = c("Diekirch", "Grevenmacher", "Luxembourg"))
is.ordered(v$NAME_1)
# [1] FALSE
class(v$NAME_1)
[1] "factor"

This is also true using tidyterra::mutate

v <- tidyterra::mutate(v, NAME_1 = ordered(NAME_1, levels = c("Diekirch", "Grevenmacher", "Luxembourg")))
is.ordered(v$NAME_1)
# [1] FALSE
class(v$NAME_1)
[1] "factor"

Using terra_1.7-39.

[rhijmans]

That was not intended, but since terra stores these in its own C++ object it needs to be explicitly added. I have now done that and I now see:

library(terra)
#terra 1.7.48
v <- vect(system.file("ex/lux.shp", package="terra"))
v$test <- ordered(v$NAME_1, levels = c("Diekirch", "Grevenmacher", "Luxembourg"))
is.ordered(v$NAME_1)
#[1] FALSE
is.ordered(v$test)
#[1] TRUE