RStudio Setup
The most frequently used IDE for R is RStudio. R and RStudio are two different programs. You don’t have to install RStudio to be able to use R programs (via the R GUI). But you are required to install R first before installing and using RStudio because RStudio requires the R program to be installed on the PC or server. In order to use RStudio IDE, follow the steps below
1. Download RStudio Desktop via rstudio or posit
2. Run the downloaded installer
3. Click Next
To use RStudio in Windows 10, it is the same as when you would open an R program in R – Environment Setup.
Congratulation! now you have already installed RStudio.
Rtools Setup
Note that if you are a Windows operating system user, you also need to install software called RTools. Rtools is a toolchain bundle that is installed on Windows OS to build R base and R packages which consist of compiled code. Or simply put, it is a software development tool whose job is to create software products, where the product here is R base or R packages which consist of compiled code.
Download the installer file from https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/Rtools/. After completing the download, install the application until it is finished as bellow image steps.
Important:
- Use Rtools 4.0, if you are using R version 4.0 and above
- Use Rtools 3.5, if you are using R versions 3.3.x to 3.6.x
Next you need to do one more step, that is registering the rtools location in the windows system PATH.
- Right click on your Computer (This PC) in windows explorer
- Select Properties
- Select the Advanced system settings option
- Select Environtment Variables
- Select Path in the box System variables
- Click Edit
- Find the installed RTools bin folder in local computer, for example C:\rtools44\usr\bin.
- Create new and copy it to the PATH and then click OK as follows
Congratulation! you have successfully installed RTools. Next you may read how to create your first R project in RStudio.
