Throughout this book, you have continually refined and expanded your understanding of R. We began by examining the components of the R console and how to use them effectively. We then used variables, functions, and models to organize, analyze, and assess our data. We concluded by taking an in-depth look at R's graphical capabilities.
In this, our final chapter, we will explore several ways in which we can continue to learn about R. Just because we have completed this book and acquired the skills of the legendary Zhuge Liang, does not mean that our journey is complete. There are virtually an unlimited number of topics to discover in R. This list is growing day by day, as users continually expand R's functionality. To find new R knowledge, we will focus on the learning resources that are built into R and those that can be found online.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to do the following:
- Use R's built-in help system
- Install packages that expand R's functionality
- Take advantage of electronic learning resources, such as websites, blogs, and online communities
R has two primary built-in resources that allow us to expand our use of the software. The first is the help() function, which can be used to learn about various R topics. The second is R's ability to be extended through the use of user-created packages. We will explore both of these resources in detail.