1 Introduction

This document provides a list of programming guidelines for use in R software development in the Biopharmaceutical industry with a main focus on biostatistics.

This style guide was based on input of many people, many years of software development experiences and utilizing the Google R Style guide and Tidyverse Style guide. Both guides provided useful information and are very similar in structure and nature. The Tidyverse guide was originally based on the Google style guide, but Google’s current guide is derived from Tidyverse style guide.

All style guides are a matter of opinion, therefore, the rational and thinking behind each recommendation is provided with examples. While one may develop software without a style guide, utilizing a style guide can make reading the software source much easier for people other than the original developer. As a developer, it is recommended to make your software source read like a book rather than a file of “code” intended to be difficult to understand and interpret.

When developing software, the developer should always have a goal in mind. This style guide strives to help R developers in creating an easy to ready, predictable and testable software source utilizing the following:

  1. Balance between readability and efficiency. When given the option between the two following development approaches: a) a really efficient, very difficult to follow and understand approach vs b) a less efficient but easily understood option, ALWAYS take the less efficient option that is easy to follow and less likely to have bugs. The efficient version can be provided as alternative and comparison of results for testing is suggested.

  2. Use descriptive and meaningful names for files, functions and variables.

  3. Extremely long files can be very difficult to follow and test and should be avoided.

  4. Where there are style options, pick a option and be consistent within a set of code such as a project, package or shiny app.

  5. Keep in mind that, programming, like writing, is a naturally individualistic endeavor. But unlike writing, software development is often a joint and collaborative effort. Therefore great attention must be paid on balancing of individual style against collective consistency.

1.1 References

Google’s R Style Guide https://google.github.io/styleguide/Rguide.html

Tidyverse Style Guide Used within the Tidyverse https://style.tidyverse.org/

Tidyverse Style Guide Git Repository https://github.com/tidyverse/style Several files in this document are modified versions from the Tidyverse GitHub repository.