Components of an R package

Developing R Packages

Jasmin Ludolf

Content Developer

The power of R packages

Share and reuse code across projects, business, and community

This course:

Create R packages from basics
Including documentation and testing

R package community art

R package components

Example package structure

¹ Tree generated with https://tree.nathanfriend.io/

R package components

Functions
Data

Example package structure

R package components

Supporting files:
- DESCRIPTION
- NAMESPACE

Example package structure

R package components

R Markdown templates:
- How to work with the package
R Markdown is used for creating dynamic reports

Example package structure

R package components

Documentation
- Examples of how to use functions

Example package structure

R package components

Unit tests
- Automated tests
- Ensures functions and code work correctly

Example package structure

R package components

Vignettes
- Long-form package tutorials

Example package structure

Core package functionality

At the very least, R packages need to include:

R directory
man directory
NAMESPACE file
DESCRIPTION file

R directory

Where package functions reside
Separate files for each component of the package
Include a file with the package name and details

R directory layout

man directory

manual directory
Documentation on package functions and objects

man directory layout

NAMESPACE

Shows functions imported from other packages
Lists functions available to users

# Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
export(distance_converter)
export(temp_converter)

importFrom(tibble,tibble)

DESCRIPTION

Includes package metadata

Package: ourPackage
Title: What the Package Does (One Line, Title Case)
Version: 0.0.0.9000
Authors@R: 
    person("First", "Last", , "[email protected]", role = c("aut", "cre"),
           comment = c(ORCID = "YOUR-ORCID-ID"))
Description: What the package does (one paragraph).
License: `use_mit_license()`, `use_gpl3_license()` or friends to pick a
    license
Encoding: UTF-8
Roxygen: list(markdown = TRUE)
RoxygenNote: 7.2.3
Depends: 
    R (>= 2.10)
LazyData: true

Let's practice!

Developing R Packages