First steps in R

Learn some of the fundamental code for creating and manipulating data in R

For all these exercises:

1. Copy-paste the code from the slides into the interactive playground below
2. Try editing and re-running it - play with the examples to reinforce what you’re learning

Running code

Once you’ve typed the code, run it with the Run Code button , or see the end of our RStudio instructions

View slides in full screen

Save your code in a script

It’s good to get into the habit of writing your code into a text file, to keep a clean copy, separate from any outputs that R generates

Keep a record of what you learn!

Whether you’re running code in R/RStudio or in the browser, we recommend you save the code for future reference:

1. Copy-paste the example code into a text file, preferably with a .R extension to create an R script
   
2. Annotate the code with your own comments, to remind yourself what each line means. Add comments by starting the line with a hash symbol #, as in our examples

Common coding mistakes

If your code isn’t working, check for these common errors:

• Missing closing parenthesis ) - if R shows you a + prompt instead of the usual > prompt, this is probably the reason
• Using the wrong case for function or object names e.g. Function_Name instead of function_name - R is case-sensitive¹

Footnotes

1. Case-sensitive: A capital letter is not the equivalent of a lower-case letter