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Install improveR

install-improveR.Rmd

Installing improveR

This guide will walk you through installing the improveR package from the improve repository.

Step 1: Configure R Repository

First, we need to add the improve repository as a secondary repository source:

# Add improve repository
options(repos = c(getOption("repos"),
  improve = "https://r.scinteco.com/4.4.0/"))

# Verify the configuration
cat("\nUpdated repositories:\n")
print(getOption("repos"))

Step 2: Install improveR Package

Now we can install the improveR package from the improve repository:

# Install improveR package
install.packages("improveR")
#this package contains the CLI tools
install.packages("improveRcontributions")
# Load the package to verify installation
library(improveR)

# Check package version
cat("improveR package version:", as.character(packageVersion("improveR")), "\n")

Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

To use improveR, you need to set up the required environment variables. We recommend creating a .Renviron file in your project root:

# Add these lines to your .Renviron file:
# Sys.setenv(IMPROVER_REPO_URL = "https://<url>:<repoPort>/repository")
# Sys.setenv(IMPROVER_STEP = "<valid-entityId>")  # Ideally the entityId of your working folder

Step 4: Verify Installation

Let’s verify that improveR is properly installed and configured:

# Check if improveR is installed
if ("improveR" %in% installed.packages()[, "Package"]) {
  cat("✓ improveR package is installed\n")
  
  # List key functions
  cat("\nKey improveR functions available:\n")
  improver_functions <- ls("package:improveR")
  main_functions <- improver_functions[improver_functions %in% c(
    "improveConnect", "improveDisconnect", "loadResource", "createFile", 
    "createFolder", "createLink", "effectiveRights", "whoami"
  )]
  print(main_functions)
} else {
  cat("✗ improveR package is NOT installed\n")
}

# Check environment variables
cat("\nEnvironment variable status:\n")
repo_url <- Sys.getenv("IMPROVER_REPO_URL")
step_id <- Sys.getenv("IMPROVER_STEP")

if (repo_url != "") {
  cat("✓ IMPROVER_REPO_URL is set:", repo_url, "\n")
} else {
  cat("✗ IMPROVER_REPO_URL is NOT set\n")
}

if (step_id != "") {
  cat("✓ IMPROVER_STEP is set:", step_id, "\n")
} else {
  cat("✗ IMPROVER_STEP is NOT set\n")
}

Step 5: Test Connection (Optional)

If you have valid environment variables set, you can test the connection:

# Only run this if you have valid credentials
if (Sys.getenv("IMPROVER_REPO_URL") != "" && Sys.getenv("IMPROVER_STEP") != "") {
  tryCatch({
    # Connect to repository
    improveConnect()
    
    # Test basic functionality
    user <- whoami()
    cat("\nSuccessfully connected as:", user, "\n")
    
    # Disconnect
    improveDisconnect()
    cat("Connection test completed successfully!\n")
  }, error = function(e) {
    cat("Connection test failed:\n")
    print(e)
  })
} else {
  cat("\nSkipping connection test - environment variables not set\n")
  cat("Please configure IMPROVER_REPO_URL and IMPROVER_STEP before testing connection\n")
}

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

  1. Package installation fails:
    • Check your internet connection
    • Verify the repository URL is accessible
    • Try installing with type = "source" if binary installation fails
  2. Environment variables not working:
    • Restart your R session after creating .Renviron
    • Check that .Renviron is in your working directory
    • Use Sys.setenv() for temporary testing
  3. Connection issues:
    • Verify your repository URL format (https://:/repository)
    • Check that your step ID is valid
    • Ensure you have network access to the repository

Summary

You have now: 1. ✓ Added the improve repository to your R configuration 2. ✓ Installed the improveR package 3. ✓ Learned how to configure environment variables 4. ✓ Verified the installation

Next steps: - Configure your environment variables in .Renviron - Try the basic node types tutorial: tutorial-01-basic-node-types.Rmd - Explore the improveR documentation

# Display session information for debugging
cat("\n=== Session Information ===\n")
sessionInfo()