Course
Developing R Packages
IntermediateSkill Level
Updated 01/2026RProgramming4 hr15 videos56 Exercises4,550 XP2,402Statement of Accomplishment
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Discover the Benefits of Package Creation
Creating a package allows you to document your functions, enhancing their quality. It provides a formal structure for your code and analyses, enabling function improvement while tests verify no previous functionality is disrupted.Practice Using R Package Development Tools
This course will guide you through these concepts, and as a bonus, you'll develop your own package focused on unit conversion. You'll learn how to use the devtools, usethis, roxygen2, available, and testthat packages as well as rmarkdown to speed up and improve your package development workflow.Experience the Power of R Package Development
Get ready to dive into the dynamic world of R package development and empower yourself with a valuable toolset that can greatly enhance your data analysis journey!Prerequisites
Introduction to Writing Functions in R1
Creating R Packages: From Data to Functions
Dive into the essentials of R package construction, from understanding the architecture, the critical R and man directories, to the significance of the DESCRIPTION and NAMESPACE files. Get hands-on with the usethis package as you create your own package skeleton and include data. Strengthen your R function writing skills, grasp best practices for package development, and get comfortable saving functions to a file. Finally, install your package locally using devtools.
2
Designing R Packages: Package Naming and Dependencies
Learn the advantages of creating packages versus using scripts, exploring the impact on code organization, reproducibility, collaboration, and sharing. Discover effective strategies for structuring code and functions within the R directory, and choosing an appropriate name and license for your package. Finally, you’ll learn how to manage CRAN package dependencies.
3
Package Documentation: Generating Help Files and Vignettes
Harness the power of examples in documentation by creating function examples with roxygen2. Understand the significance of examples in clarifying function behavior and identifying key components of a well-documented R function. Explore the purpose of vignettes in R package documentation and learn best practices for creating engaging vignettes and evaluating their content and quality through metadata analysis.
4
Testing R Packages: Using Unit Tests and Robust Checks
Identify why the unit tests are important to package development and maintenance and learn how to implement the testthat package for unit tests. Convert R examples into expectations to build your unit test knowledge. You’ll then gain an understanding on how to document your package data and run some final checks to ensure you have developed a robust R package.
Developing R Packages
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FAQs
What tools and packages will I use to develop an R package?
You will use devtools for building and installing, usethis for package scaffolding, roxygen2 for documentation, testthat for unit testing, and rmarkdown for vignettes.
Will I create a complete R package from scratch in this course?
Yes. You will build a package skeleton, add functions and data, write documentation and vignettes, implement unit tests, and install the package locally.
What are DESCRIPTION and NAMESPACE files and why do they matter?
DESCRIPTION defines your package metadata and dependencies, while NAMESPACE controls which functions are exported. Both are critical structural files you will learn to configure.
Does the course cover how to manage CRAN dependencies?
Yes. Chapter 2 teaches you how to handle CRAN package dependencies, choose a license, and follow best practices for structuring code within the R directory.
Why should I create an R package instead of using scripts?
Packages improve code organization, reproducibility, collaboration, and sharing. The course explains these advantages and shows how packaging elevates your workflow.
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