C for R Users

Why and how to learn C, as a way to contribute to base R

talks
base R
R contribution
Author
Published

June 26, 2025

Overview

Much of base R is written in C. As R users, we may encounter this code when debugging our own code. As R contributors, we may wish to propose patches to the C code if we discover a bug. In any case, learning a new language can be fun and rewarding!

In this talk, I’ll discuss why, as R users/programmers, we may want to learn C, and resources for doing so. I’ll show examples of how C is used in the codebase of base R. I’ll give an example of how, with only a little C knowledge, it was possible to add a new feature into the language (specifying colours with three-digit hex codes). Finally, I’ll discuss various initiatives from the R Contribution Working Group and show how you, too, can get involved in contributing to base R.

Event details

Event listing: Meet-up

Date: June 26th, 2025

Time: 12:45

Location: MB0.08, Mathematical Sciences Building, University of Warwick and online (register on Meetup for Teams link).

About the speaker

Ella is a Research Software Engineer at the University of Warwick, UK, and a Fellow of the Software Sustainability Institute. She works to increase sustainability and EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) in the R Project, in particular by fostering a larger and more diverse community of contributors to base R. She also runs rainbowR, a community that connects, supports, and promotes LGBTQ+ people who code in R, and spreads awareness of LGBTQ+ issues through data-driven activism.

Resources

  • Slides (opens in a new window)

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@online{kaye2025,
  author = {Kaye, Ella},
  title = {C for {R} {Users}},
  date = {2025-06-26},
  url = {https://warwickrug.github.io/meetings/2025-06-26-c-for-r-users/},
  langid = {en}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
Kaye, Ella. 2025. “C for R Users.” June 26, 2025. https://warwickrug.github.io/meetings/2025-06-26-c-for-r-users/.