Digital Skills: Introduction to Building Packages in R and Version Control

Dozent/in	Dr. Nicolas Attalides
Veranstaltungsart	Workshop
Code	HS261720
Semester	Herbstsemester 2026
Durchführender Fachbereich	Diverse
Studienstufe	Master Doktorat
Termin/e	Fr, 23.10.2026, 09:30 - 16:30 Uhr
Umfang	Blockveranstaltung
Inhalt	To make your R code as useful and re-usable as possible it needs to be organised and structured in a way that follows good programming practices. The aim of an R package is to do exactly that! If you are developing your R package it is recommended that you version control your work rather than keeping multiple copies on your machine. GitHub offers a version control solution as well as a platform to share your work with the rest of the R community and allow others to collaborate with you.
Lernziele	This course teaches the participants how to create an R package step-by-step and the basics of version control using GitHub and Git commands. The course is structured to cover the following topics: • Get started with R packages • Construct the package structure • Code / Documentation / Tests • Check & Build • Get started with GitHub • Link R package with Git repository • Learn the basics of version control • Share your R package on GitHub
Voraussetzungen	Course participants are expected to have some basic knowledge of the R programming language. Prior experience in basic data analysis (such as data manipulation and visualisation) or writing functions would help the learning experience but is not required. Note: If you do not have a GitHub account you will have the opportunity to create one during the course. Participants should have their own laptop with R, RStudio and the relevant packages installed.
Sprache	Englisch
Begrenzung	Only Master or doctoral students (postdoctoral researchers can sign up via lumacss@unilu.ch). Priority for LUMACSS students if there are too many registrations.
Anmeldung	***Important*** To earn credits, you must register for the course via UniPortal. Registration is open from two weeks before to two weeks after the start of the semester. You can withdraw from the course after this period by notifying the lecturer and lumacss@unilu.ch. You can find the registration details here: http://www.unilu.ch/ksf/semesterdaten
Leistungsnachweis	There is no examination. Participants are expected to actively engage in the hands-on components of the workshop. Successful participation is awarded 0.5 ECTS.
Abschlussform / Credits	Bestätigte Teilnahme / 0.5 Credits
Hörer-/innen	Nein
Kontakt	lumacss@unilu.ch
Material	Instructions for the technical setup will be circulated via e-mail by the instructor during the week before the (first session of the) course. Learning material such as slides, code and solutions to exercises will be circulated by the instructor after the course.