Streamlining Your Project Workflow with `projr`

library(projr)

Understanding the projr Workflow

What You’ll Learn:

• How projr structures your project for clarity and easy sharing.
• The core functions for building and refining your project.
• Simple steps to connect your project to GitHub.

The Heart of projr: The _projr.yml File

This file is your project’s command center. Let’s break down its key sections:

• directories:
  • Purpose: Defines where essential project components live.
  • Key Folders:
    • data-raw: Your untouched, original data.
    • cache: Temporary files created during development.
    • output: Final results you want to share (figures, tables, etc.).
    • docs: Rendered documents (HTML, PDF).
  • Benefits:
    • Organized structure that’s easy to understand.
    • Simplifies sharing specific parts of your project.
    • projr can smartly manage and protect your outputs.

Use projr_path_get() to find these folders. Example: projr_path_get("data-raw") will return the path to your data-raw directory.

• build:
  • Purpose: Automates tasks that happen every time you build your project.
  • Key Actions
    • Version Control (Git): Decides how Git commits are linked to project versions.
    • Uploads: Effortlessly shares data, outputs, and documents to GitHub, OSF, or local folders.

Building Your Project: Key Functions

Let’s look at the two functions that are the heart of building your project:

• projr_build_dev()
  • Purpose: Your development buddy! Renders your code documents, with results temporarily saved to the “cache” folder.
  • Why Use It: Test changes safely before finalizing your outputs.
• projr_build_output()
  • Purpose: The final production step. This saves results to their final locations and handles versioning, uploads, and other tasks you’ve set in _projr.yml.

Notes on Git and GitHub

projr makes using Git easy, streamlining your version control and project sharing workflow. Here’s how to connect your project to GitHub:

1. Create a free GitHub account: Sign up on GitHub: https://github.com.
2. GitHub Credentials: Follow the steps from Happy Git with R: https://happygitwithr.com/https-pat#tldr (See below for a quick summary).

Generate a GitHub PAT:

if (!requireNamespace("usethis", quietly = TRUE)) {
  install.packages("usethis")
}
usethis::create_github_token() 

Copy the generated token.

Save Your Credentials:

gitcreds::gitcreds_set()

Paste your Git credentials when prompted.

Next Steps

1. Experiment: Create a test project to practice using projr.
2. Customize: Tailor your _projr.yml file to match your specific project’s needs. Check out the 3-directories and 4-destination vignettes for more details!
3. Integrate: Make projr a natural part of your R workflow.

Let’s transform your projects from chaotic to streamlined!