Using R

Part III: Installing an R GUI - Rcmdr

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:18:00 +0000

This post is part III of a series of video tutorials for beginners on how to get the R statistical software running under windows. See also part I (Downloading R) and part II (Installing R).

Remember to use the full screen mode, when playing the video,as this gives you a full screen view of my desktop.

After you have installed the R base program, you can start analyzing your data. However, if you are new to using the traditional command line, the next best option is to try out one of the graphical user interfaces. The video presented here shows how you can install the Rcmdr GUI.

This video shows the 2-step process of getting the Rcmdr GUI working under windows. After starting R, you will be given the option to Install packages from the menu option Packages. Select a mirror and then select the Rcmdr packages from the list of available packages. This is a quick process that takes only a few seconds. Start the Rcmdr by selecting Load package under the menu option Packages. As this is the first time you are using the package, a pop-up window will appear giving a list of extra packages to be installed before you can use it. Select yes to install these packages. This is an automatic process but will take a few minutes for all the required packages to be installed. You may want to skip to the end of this video, to see the final part of installation.

You are now ready to use both the GUI menu options and if you cannot find what you want, you can always type in a function in the the script window (works like the command line - Just don't forget to click on the submit button).

See the next post on Working with Rcmdr for an introduction to basic usage of the GUI and how to work with functions from packages not accessible through the menu options.

Part II: Installing R in windows

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:06:00 +0000

This post is part II of a series of video tutorials for beginners on how to get the R statistical software running under windows. See also part I (Downloading R) and part III (Installing an R GUI).

Remember to use the full screen mode, when playing the video,as this gives you a full screen view of my desktop.

The installation process in Windows is the same as for any executable (.exe) file. Just click on the file if you have it on your desktop and then follow the instructions in the window. Default options are usually ok, and you can always make change later on if you do not like it.

At the end of the installation process, you will find an R desktop icon. Congratulations. You can now start working with R using its command line interface. If you prefer to do some of the work with a graphical user interface, then see part III of this installation howto tutorial.

Part I: Downloading R

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:57:00 +0000

This post is part I of a series of video tutorials for beginners on how to get the R statistical software running under windows. See also part II (Installing R) and part III (Installing an R GUI).

Remember to use the full screen mode, when playing the video,as this gives you a full screen view of my desktop.

This video is shelf explanatory. Basically it shows me using firefox, going to the R Project for Statistical Computing website. Download a binary file (MacOS or Windows) or if you use a linux distribution (you will probably not need to read this post) by selecting one of the mirror sites from the download CRAN link and save it to you hard disk (or your desktop).

That's it. You can now install R or see part II if you need some help.