Once you start using different versions of packages for different projects
then you will probably want a package-management solution for R. Or perhaps
you are coming from another language that had a package-management solution
that you were already happy with. Curious about the offerings I searched
and found two options, rbundler and Packrat. Having read the literature for both,
they seem to be more than adequate providing everything that one would expect.
| Package | Github | CRAN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| rbundler | here | here | here |
| Packrat | here | NA | NA |
My current approach is to install all packages into my user directory so as not
to spoil the global package cache. Most likely that approach won’t scale for
larger projects, so when the need arises I will migrate to one of these
solutions.
If you’ve never used something like this before, then you will be well-served to
first becomes comfortable and masterful managing it yourself before automating
it.
Whatever your approach, it is a real treat to know that both solutions are
available for when you embrace reproducible research.