STAT 545 - Fall 2025
Write a DESCRIPTION file
Carefully curate package dependencies
Document functions and data using `roxygen2` comments and tags
Include tests with testthat in accordance with the R package infrastructure.
Add a license
Update an R package via semantic version-ing, NEWS, changelog.
Develop and build informative vignettes and a package README.
Organized documentation
Sharability
Built-in checks to ensure your package is working
Templates for organizing your work
Ability to attach data sets to share
We’ve been using various packages all semester, including dplyr. You can actually see the underlying package which is hosted on (pretends to be shocked) GitHub: https://github.com/tidyverse/dplyr.
For this topic, we’ll be making an R package like the toy square package, by following along with “The Whole Game” Chapter of “R packages”.
Tip
Many of the functions we call are from the devtools package in R. If you’re getting errors when trying to run some commands, try reloading devtools in the Console by running library(devtools).
DESCRIPTION File: describes the package contents + licensing
NAMESPACE file: lists functions available to users, or functions imported from other packages
Function files: files containing self-made functions to be contained in the package
Tests (using testthat, perhaps)
Vignette: a long form descriptive document that acts like a tutorial
README file: the front page of the GitHub repository
NEWS file: a file used to update user on new versions and releases
We will build an R Package that has functions for different powers, like squares and cubics.