Does all code in the .Rmd end up in the R package?
No, a code chunk is only sent to the R/ file of the R
package if it starts with #'. If
testthat::test_that() is used in a code chunk, that chunk
will be added to the package as a unit test. For an example of both of
these, see create-rhello.Rmd
and the
resulting package. If you want a code chunk sent to your R package
that doesn’t start with the roxygen2-style #',
you can instead add the explicit location of where it should go using a
chunk option of the form send_to="R/myfile.R". You can send
code from multiple code chunks to the same file if you like.
Do I have to learn special syntax to use litr?
No. The .Rmd file that generates an R package with litr
uses exactly the same syntax as a regular .Rmd file. You will need to
use roxygen2 for documenting
your functions; however, you would probably be using
roxygen2 even if you weren’t using litr.
How does the litr .Rmd relate to a vignette?
A vignette serves a very different purpose from the .Rmd file you use
in litr. The goal of a vignette is to show potential users
of your package how they can use it. By contrast, the litr
.Rmd file is a document that is the source code,
presented in a way that is optimized for human readability. The audience
of this file is your future self or anyone who may eventually wish to
modify your R package or understand its inner workings. Typical users of
your package will not need to see this document.
For large packages, can I write my package across multiple .Rmd files?
Yes! You can use bookdown to define your R package
across multiple .Rmd files. This leads to a nice looking online book
with multiple chapters. When you render the book all .Rmd files are run
in a single environment, so it behaves in the same way as if you had one
enormous .Rmd file. Here’s
an example. The easiest way to get started is to work from template using
litr::draft_bookdown().
Can I include a README for my package?
Yes! You can do so using the function
litr::add_readme(). See the template create-withpkgdown.Rmd
for an example of how this works.
Can I include vignettes in my package?
Yes! You can do so using the function
litr::add_vignettes(). See the template create-withpkgdown.Rmd
for an example of how this works.
Can I make a pkgdown site for my package?
Yes! See the template create-withpkgdown.Rmd
for an example of how this works.
Is it true that literate programming won an Academy Award?
Almost, but not quite. Donald Knuth was personally thanked in an Academy Award acceptance speech for developing literate programming. See Kristen Bell and Michael B. Jordan clapping for literate programming here.
Did you use litr to write litr?
Yes! Version 0.0.1 of litr was written in the
traditional way (since litr didn’t yet exist…). But
thereafter, version n+1 of litr was written using version n
of litr. For more on the creation of litr, see
here. Or if
you’re really interested, have a look at the literate
programming bookdown that defines the litr.