Installing R and RStudio

R and RStudio are both free, open-source software, available for all commonly used operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems. R and RStudio install in the standard manner on each of these systems. System-specific instructions for installing R are given below. Regardless of your operating system, you should install R before installing RStudio.

Please read and follow these instructions carefully. Installation assistance will also be availabile on-site immediately prior to the workshop.

Installing R on Windows

Visit the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) and select a mirror site near you; a list of CRAN mirrors appears at the upper left of the CRAN home page. For example, if you are in Ann Arbor, select the Michigan mirror. Click on the link Download R for Windows, which appears near the top of the page; then click on install R for the first time, and subsequently on Download R 3.1.1 for Windows (or whatever is the current version of R). Once it is downloaded, double-click on the R installer. You may take all of the defaults, but I suggest that you make the following modifications:

Instead of installing R in the standard location, C:\Program Files\R\R-3.0.1, I suggest that you use C:\R\R-3.0.1. This will allow you to install packages without running R with administrator privileges and will avoid problems that sometimes occur when there are spaces in paths.

In the Startup options screen, select Yes (customized startup). Then select the SDI (single-document interface) in preference to the default MDI (multiple-document interface); feel free to make other changes, but you may take all the remaining defaults.

Building Packages Under Windows (Optional)

If you wish to build packages, you will have to install some additional software and properly configure your Windows system. You do not have to be able to build R packages in order to install pre-built Windows binary packages from CRAN, so these steps are generally unnecessary unless you plan to write your own packages.

Click on the Rtools link on the R for Windows CRAN page. Download the current version of the Rtools installer and run it. You may take all of the other defaults, but do allow the Rtools installer to modify your system path, by checking the box to edit the system path. Add c:\R\R-3.0.1\bin; to the path (assuming that you installed R in the location that I suggested), after the items added by the Rtools installer (i.e., after c:\Rtools\gcc-4.6.3\bin). Type this location carefully, including the terminating semicolon -- you don't want to mess up your path.

If you want to be able to build PDF help files, download and install the MiKTeX LaTeX system; there is also a link to MiKTeX on the Building R for Windows page. Installing MiKTeX will also allow you to create Sweave documents in RStudio.

Installing R on Mac OS X

Visit the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) and select a mirror site near you; a list of CRAN mirrors appears at the upper left of the CRAN home page. For example, if you are in Ann Arbor, select the Michigan mirror. Click on the link Download R for MacOS X, which appears near the top of the page; then click on R-3.0.2.pkg (latest version) (or whatever is the current version of R). Once it is downloaded, double-click on the R installer. You may take all of the defaults.

Building Packages Under Mac OS X (Optional)

To build R packages, you must install the Apple Xcode developer tools. For Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or 10.8 (Mountain Lion), you can install Xcode for free from the App Store. For earlier versions of Mac OS X, Xcode can be installed from your system DVD or downloaded from the Apple developer website. You do not need Xcode to install pre-built Mac OS X binary packages from CRAN, so this step is unnecessary unless you plan to write your own packages.

Some R packages include Fortran code; to build such packages, you will have to install a Fortran compiler. You do not need the Fortran compiler to build most packages, nor to install pre-built Mac OS X binary packages from CRAN. Click on the tools link on the R for Mac OS X page, and click on the link for gfortran-4.2.3.dmg. Double-click on this file once the download is complete; and then double-click on the installer, gfortran.pkg. Complete the installation.

If you want to be able to build PDF help files, download and install the MacTeX LaTeX system. Installing MacTeX will also allow you to create Sweave documents in RStudio.

Installing R on Linux Systems

Visit the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) and select a mirror site near you; a list of CRAN mirrors appears at the upper left of the CRAN home page. For example, if you are in Ann Arbor, select the Michigan mirror. Click on the link Download R for Linux, which appears near the top of the page. R is available for several Linux distributions (Debian, RedHat, SUSE, and Ubuntu); select your distribution, and proceed as directed.

If you have a Linux or Unix system that's not compatible with one of these distributions, you will have to compile R from source code; the procedure for doing so is is described in the R FAQ (frequently asked questions) list.

Installing RStudio

Go to the RStudio home page and click on the Download RStudio button at the upper right; then click on Download RStudio Desktop. The RStudio website should detect your operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux); click on the link for the current release of RStudio for your system.

Once it is downloaded, run the RStudio installer and take all of the defaults: In Windows, double-click on the RStudio installer to start the installation; in Mac OS X, double-click on the downloaded RStudio disk-image file, and drag the RStudio icon to the Applications folder.

When you first run RStudio, it should detect your R installation and start the R 3.0.1 console. To configure RStudio to your taste, select Tools -> Options (Windows) or RStudio -> Preferences (Mac OS X) from the RStudio menus. In particular, I suggest that on the General options screen you deselect Restore .RData into workspace at startup, and set Save workspace to .RData on exit to Never. If you encounter difficulties, consult the RStudio troubleshooting guide.

Installing R Packages for the Workshop

Once you have installed R and RStudio, you can install additional packages required for the lectures by typing the following command at the > command prompt in the R Console (and pressing the Enter or return key):

install.packages(c("car", "effects", "lme4", "sem"))

You will be prompted to select a CRAN mirror site. Alternatively, you can install packages from the RStudio Packages tab.