Object-Oriented Programming with S3 and R6 in R

Overview

Manage the complexity in your code using object-oriented programming with the S3 and R6 systems.

Object-oriented programming (OOP) lets you specify relationships between functions and the objects that they can act on, helping you manage complexity in your code. This is an intermediate level course, providing an introduction to OOP, using the S3 and R6 systems. S3 is a great day-to-day R programming tool that simplifies some of the functions that you write. R6 is especially useful for industry-specific analyses, working with web APIs, and building GUIs.

Syllabus

Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming

Learn what object-oriented programming (OOP) consists of, when to use it, and what OOP systems are available in R. You'll also learn how R identifies different types of variable, using classes, types, and modes.

Using S3

S3 is a very simple object-oriented system that lets you define different behavior for functions, depending upon their input argument. This chapter explains how to use S3, and how generics and methods work.

Using R6

Learn how to define R6 classes, and to create R6 objects. You'll also learn about the structure of R6 classes, and how to separate the user interface from the implementation details.