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https://github.com/r-lib/devtools

Tools to make an R developer's life easier
https://github.com/r-lib/devtools

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Tools to make an R developer's life easier

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README 

        
# devtools 



[![R-CMD-check](https://github.com/r-lib/devtools/actions/workflows/R-CMD-check.yaml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/r-lib/devtools/actions/workflows/R-CMD-check.yaml)

[![Codecov test coverage](https://codecov.io/gh/r-lib/devtools/branch/main/graph/badge.svg)](https://app.codecov.io/gh/r-lib/devtools?branch=main)

[![CRAN_Status_Badge](https://www.r-pkg.org/badges/version/devtools)](https://cran.r-project.org/package=devtools)



The aim of devtools is to make package development easier by providing R

functions that simplify and expedite common tasks. [R

Packages](https://r-pkgs.org/) is a book based around this workflow.



## Installation



```r

# Install devtools from CRAN

install.packages("devtools")



# Or the development version from GitHub:

# install.packages("pak")

pak::pak("r-lib/devtools")

```



## Cheatsheet



thumbnail of package development cheatsheet



## Usage



All devtools functions accept a path as an argument, e.g.

`load_all("path/to/mypkg")`. If you don't specify a path, devtools will

look in the current working directory - this is a recommended practice.



### Frequent development tasks:



* `load_all()` simulates installing and reloading your package, loading R code

  in `R/`, compiled shared objects in `src/` and data files in `data/`. During

  development you would usually want to access all functions (even un-exported

  internal ones) so `load_all()` works as if all functions were exported in the

  package `NAMESPACE`.



* `document()` updates generated documentation in `man/`, file collation and

  `NAMESPACE`.



* `test()` reloads your code with `load_all()`, then runs all `testthat` tests.



* `test_coverage()` runs test coverage on your package with

  [covr](https://github.com/r-lib/covr). This makes it easy to see what parts of your

  package could use more tests!



### Building and installing:



* `install()` reinstalls the package, detaches the currently loaded version

  then reloads the new version with `library()`. Reloading a package is not

  guaranteed to work: see the documentation for `unload()` for caveats.



* `build()` builds a package file from package sources. You can use it to build

  a binary version of your package.



* `install_*` functions install an R package:

   * `install_github()` from GitHub

   * `install_gitlab()` from GitLab

   * `install_bitbucket()` from Bitbucket

   * `install_url()` from an arbitrary url

   * `install_git()` and `install_svn()` from an arbitrary git or SVN repository

   * `install_local()` from a local file on disk

   * `install_version()` from a specific version on CRAN



* `update_packages()` updates a package to the latest version. This works

  both on packages installed from CRAN as well as those installed from any of

  the `install_*` functions.



### Check and release:



* `check()` updates the documentation, then builds and checks the package locally.

  `check_win()` checks a package using

  [win-builder](https://win-builder.r-project.org/), and `check_rhub()` checks a package using

  [r-hub](https://log.r-hub.io/). This allows you to easily check

  your package on all systems CRAN uses before submission.



* `release()` makes sure everything is ok with your package (including asking

  you a number of questions), then builds and uploads to CRAN.



## Learning more



R package development can be intimidating, however there are now a number of

valuable resources to help!



Cover image of R Packages book



1. R Packages is a book that gives a comprehensive treatment of all common parts

   of package development and uses devtools throughout.

    * The first edition is no longer available online, but it is still in print. Note that it has grown somewhat out of sync with the current version of devtools.

    * A second edition that reflects the current state of devtools, plus new topics such as package websites and GitHub Actions, is available at  and in paperback format.

    * The [Whole Game](https://r-pkgs.org/whole-game.html) and

      [Package structure](https://r-pkgs.org/package-structure-state.html) chapters

      make great places to start.



2. [Posit Community - package

   development](https://forum.posit.co/c/package-development/11)

   is a great place to ask specific questions related to package development.



3. [rOpenSci packages](https://devguide.ropensci.org/) has

   extensive documentation on best practices for R packages looking to be

   contributed to rOpenSci, but also very useful general recommendations

   for package authors.



4. There are a number of fantastic blog posts on writing your first package, including

   - [Writing an R package from scratch - Hilary Parker](https://hilaryparker.com/2014/04/29/writing-an-r-package-from-scratch/)

   - [How to develop good R packages - Maëlle Salmon](https://masalmon.eu/2017/12/11/goodrpackages/)

   - [Making your first R package - Fong Chun Chan](https://tinyheero.github.io/jekyll/update/2015/07/26/making-your-first-R-package.html)

   - [Writing an R package from scratch - Tomas Westlake](https://r-mageddon.netlify.app/post/writing-an-r-package-from-scratch/)



5. [Writing R

   Extensions](https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/R-exts.html) is

   the exhaustive, canonical reference for writing R packages, maintained by

   the R core developers.



## Conscious uncoupling



devtools started off as a lean-and-mean package to facilitate local package

development, but over the years it accumulated more and more functionality.

devtools has undergone a [conscious

uncoupling](https://web.archive.org/web/20140326060230/https://www.goop.com/journal/be/conscious-uncoupling)

to split out functionality into smaller, more tightly focussed packages. This

includes:



* [testthat](https://github.com/r-lib/testthat): Writing and running tests

  (i.e. `test()`).



* [roxygen2](https://github.com/r-lib/roxygen2): Function and package documentation

  (i.e. `document()`).



* [remotes](https://github.com/r-lib/remotes): Installing packages (i.e.

  `install_github()`).



* [pkgbuild](https://github.com/r-lib/pkgbuild): Building binary packages

  (including checking if build tools are available) (i.e. `build()`).



* [pkgload](https://github.com/r-lib/pkgload): Simulating package loading (i.e.

  `load_all()`).



* [rcmdcheck](https://github.com/r-lib/rcmdcheck): Running R CMD check and

  reporting the results (i.e. `check()`).



* [revdepcheck](https://github.com/r-lib/revdepcheck): Running R CMD check on

  all reverse dependencies, and figuring out what's changed since the last CRAN

  release (i.e. `revdep_check()`).



* [sessioninfo](https://github.com/r-lib/sessioninfo): R session info (i.e.

  `session_info()`).



* [usethis](https://github.com/r-lib/usethis): Automating package setup (i.e.

  `use_test()`).



Generally, you would not need to worry about these different packages, because

devtools installs all of them automatically. You will need to care, however, if

you're filing a bug because reporting it at the correct place will lead to a

speedier resolution.



You may also need to care if you are trying to use some devtools functionality

in your own package or deployed application. Generally in these cases it

is better to depend on the particular package directly rather than depend on devtools,

e.g. use `sessioninfo::session_info()` rather than `devtools::session_info()`,

or `remotes::install_github()` vs `devtools::install_github()`.



However for day to day development we recommend you continue to use

`library(devtools)` to quickly load all needed development tools, just like

`library(tidyverse)` quickly loads all the tools necessary for data exploration

and visualization.



## Code of conduct



Please note that the devtools project is released with a [Contributor Code of Conduct](https://github.com/r-lib/devtools/blob/main/.github/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). By contributing to this project, you agree to abide by its terms.