RStudio provides an interface for version control using git. We'll look at setting up and managing a version controlled project through RStudio.
Create a new project in RStudio as follows:
File -> New Project -> New Directory
In the Project Type screen, click on Empty Project.
In the Create New Project screen, give your project a name and ensure that Create a git repository is checked. Click on Create Project.
RStudio will create a new folder containing an empty project and set R's working directory to within it.
Two files are created in the otherwise empty project:
- .gitignore -- Specifies files that should be ignored by the version control system.
- data_analysis.Rproj -- Configuration information for the RStudio project.
There is no need to worry about the contents of either of these for the purposes of this tutorial.