\tableofcontents

Getting started

How do I get started

If you have \pkg{Rcpp} installed, please execute the following command in \proglang{R} to access the introductory vignette (which is a variant of the \citet{JSS:Rcpp} and \citet{PeerJ:Rcpp} papers) for a detailed introduction, ideally followed by at least the Rcpp Attributes \citep{CRAN:Rcpp:Attributes} vignette:

vignette("Rcpp-jss-2011")
vignette("Rcpp-introduction")
vignette("Rcpp-attributes")

If you do not have \pkg{Rcpp} installed, these documents should also be available whereever you found this document, \textsl{i.e.,} on every mirror site of CRAN.

What do I need

Obviously, \proglang{R} must be installed. \pkg{Rcpp} provides a \proglang{C++} API as an extension to the \proglang{R} system. As such, it is bound by the choices made by \proglang{R} and is also influenced by how \proglang{R} is configured.

In general, the standard environment for building a CRAN package from source (particularly when it contains \proglang{C} or \proglang{C++} code) is required. This means one needs:

Also see the RStudio documentation on pre-requisites for R package development.

What compiler can I use

On almost all platforms, the GNU Compiler Collection (or gcc, which is also the name of its \proglang{C} language compiler) has to be used along with the corresponding g++ compiler for the \proglang{C++} language. A minimal suitable version is a final 4.2. release; earlier 4.2. were lacking some \proglang{C++} features (and even 4.2.1, still used on OS X as the last gcc release), has issues).

Generally speaking, the default compilers on all the common platforms are suitable.

Specific per-platform notes:

\begin{description} \item[Windows] users need the \texttt{Rtools} package from the site maintained by Duncan Murdoch which contains all the required tools in a single package; complete instructions specific to Windows are in the R Administration' manual \citep[Appendix D]{R:Administration}. As of August 2014, it still installs the \texttt{gcc/g++} 4.6.* compiler which limits the ability to use modern C++ standards so only \code{s-std=c++0x} is supported. R 3.1.0 and above detect this and set appropriate flags. \item[OS X] users, as noted in theR Administration' manual \citep[Appendix C.4]{R:Administration}, need to install the Apple Developer Tools (\textsl{e.g.}, \href{https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/xcode/id497799835?mt=12}{Xcode} (OS X $\le 10.8$) or \href{https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/technotes/tn2339/_index.html}{Xcode Command Line Tools} (OS X $\ge 10.9$) (as well as \texttt{gfortran} if \proglang{R} or Fortran-using packages are to be built); also see \faq{q:OSX} and \faq{q:OSXArma} below. Depending on whether on OS X release before or after Mavericks is used, different additional installation may be needed. Consult the \code{r-sig-mac} list (and its archives) for (current) details. \item[Linux] user need to install the standard developement packages. Some distributions provide helper packages which pull in all the required packages; the \texttt{r-base-dev} package on Debian and Ubuntu is an example. \end{description}

The clang and clang++ compilers from the LLVM project can also be used. On Linux, they are inter-operable with gcc et al. On OS X, they are unfortunately not ABI compatible. The clang++ compiler is interesting as it emits much more comprehensible error messages than g++ (though g++ 4.8 and 4.9 have caught up).

The Intel icc family has also been used successfully as its output files can also be combined with those from gcc.

What other packages are useful

Additional packages that we have found useful are:

\begin{description} \item[\pkg{inline}] which is invaluable for direct compilation, linking and loading of short code snippets---but now effectively superseded by the Rcpp Attributes (see \faq{using-attributes} and \faq{prototype-using-attributes}) feature provided by \pkg{Rcpp}; \item[\pkg{RUnit}] is used for unit testing; the package is recommended and will be needed to re-run some of our tests but it is not strictly required during use of \pkg{Rcpp}; \item[\pkg{rbenchmark}] to run simple timing comparisons and benchmarks; it is also recommended but not required. \item[\pkg{microbenchmark}] is an alternative for benchmarking. \item[\pkg{devtools}] can help the process of building, compiling and testing a package but it too is entirely optional. \end{description}

What licenses can I choose for my code

The \pkg{Rcpp} package is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL 2 or later, just like \proglang{R} itself. A key goal of the \pkg{Rcpp} package is to make extending \proglang{R} more seamless. But by \textsl{linking} your code against \proglang{R} (as well as \pkg{Rcpp}), the combination is bound by the GPL as well. This is very clearly stated at the FSF website:

Linking a GPL covered work statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on the GPL covered work. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License cover the whole combination.

So you are free to license your work under whichever terms you find suitable (provided they are GPL-compatible, see the FSF site for details). However, the combined work will remain under the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License. This restriction comes from both \proglang{R} which is GPL-licensed as well as from \pkg{Rcpp} and whichever other GPL-licensed components you may be linking against.

Compiling and Linking

How do I use \pkg{Rcpp} in my package {#make-package}

\pkg{Rcpp} has been specifically designed to be used by other packages. Making a package that uses \pkg{Rcpp} depends on the same mechanics that are involved in making any \proglang{R} package that use compiled code --- so reading the \textsl{Writing R Extensions} manual \citep{R:Extensions} is a required first step.

Further steps, specific to \pkg{Rcpp}, are described in a separate vignette.

vignette("Rcpp-package")

How do I quickly prototype my code

There are two toolchains which can help with this:

The next two subsections show an example each.

Using inline

The \pkg{inline} package \citep{CRAN:inline} provides the functions \rdoc{inline}{cfunction} and \rdoc{inline}{cxxfunction}. Below is a simple function that uses accumulate from the (\proglang{C++}) Standard Template Library to sum the elements of a numeric vector.

fx <- cxxfunction(signature(x = "numeric"),
    'NumericVector xx(x);
     return wrap(
              std::accumulate(xx.begin(), 
                              xx.end(),
                              0.0)
            );',
    plugin = "Rcpp")
res <- fx(seq(1, 10, by=0.5))
res
stopifnot(identical(res, sum(seq(1, 10, by=0.5))))

One might want to use code that lives in a \proglang{C++} file instead of writing the code in a character string in R. This is easily achieved by using \rdoc{base}{readLines}:

fx <- cxxfunction(signature(),
                  paste(readLines("myfile.cpp"), 
                        collapse="\n"),
                  plugin = "Rcpp")

The verbose argument of \rdoc{inline}{cxxfunction} is very useful as it shows how \pkg{inline} runs the show.

Using Rcpp Attributes {#using-attributes}

Rcpp Attributes \citep{CRAN:Rcpp:Attributes}, and also discussed in \faq{prototype-using-attributes} below, permits an even easier route to integrating R and C++. It provides three key functions. First, \rdoc{Rcpp}{evalCpp} provide a means to evaluate simple C++ expression which is often useful for small tests, or to simply check if the toolchain is set up correctly. Second, \rdoc{Rcpp}{cppFunction} can be used to create C++ functions for R use on the fly. Third, Rcpp::sourceCpp can integrate entire files in order to define multiple functions.

The example above can now be rewritten as:

cppFunction('double accu(NumericVector x) {
   return(
      std::accumulate(x.begin(), x.end(), 0.0)
   );
}')
res <- accu(seq(1, 10, by=0.5))
res

The \rdoc{Rcpp}{cppFunction} parses the supplied text, extracts the desired function names, creates the required scaffolding, compiles, links and loads the supplied code and makes it available under the selected identifier.

Similarly, \rdoc{Rcpp}{sourceCpp} can read in a file and compile, link and load the code therein.

How do I convert my prototyped code to a package {#from-inline-to-package}

Since release 0.3.5 of \pkg{inline}, one can combine \faq{using-inline} and \faq{make-package}. See help("package.skeleton-methods") once \pkg{inline} is loaded and use the skeleton-generating functionality to transform a prototyped function into the minimal structure of a package. After that you can proceed with working on the package in the spirit of \faq{make-package}.

Rcpp Attributes \citep{CRAN:Rcpp:Attributes} also offers a means to convert functions written using Rcpp Attributes into a function via the \rdoc{Rdoc}{compileAttributes} function; see the vignette for details.

How do I quickly prototype my code in a package {#using-a-package}

The simplest way may be to work directly with a package. Changes to both the \proglang{R} and \proglang{C++} code can be compiled and tested from the command line via:

```{bash, eval = FALSE} $ R CMD INSTALL mypkg && \ Rscript --default-packages=mypkg -e \ 'someFunctionToTickle(3.14)'

This first installs the packages, and then uses the command-line tool
\rdoc{utils}{Rscript} (which ships with `R`) to load the package, and execute
the \proglang{R} expression following the `-e` switch. Such an
expression can contain multiple statements separated by semicolons.
\rdoc{utils}{Rscript} is available on all three core operating systems.

On Linux, one can also use `r` from the `littler` package by Horner
and Eddelbuettel which is an alternative front end to \proglang{R} designed
for both `#!` (hashbang) scripting and command-line use. It has slightly
faster start-up times than \rdoc{utils}{Rscript}; and both give a guaranteed clean
slate as a new session is created.

The example then becomes

```{bash, eval = FALSE}
$ R CMD INSTALL mypkg && \
     r -l mypkg -e 'someFunctionToTickle(3.14)'

The -l option calls 'suppressMessages(library(mypkg))' before executing the \proglang{R} expression. Several packages can be listed, separated by a comma.

More choice are provide by the \pkg{devtools} package, and by using RStudio. See the respective documentation for details.

But I want to compile my code with R CMD SHLIB {#using-r-cmd-shlib}

The recommended way is to create a package and follow \faq{make-package}. The alternate recommendation is to use \pkg{inline} and follow \faq{using-inline} because it takes care of all the details.

However, some people have shown that they prefer not to follow recommended guidelines and compile their code using the traditional R CMD SHLIB. To do so, we need to help SHLIB and let it know about the header files that \pkg{Rcpp} provides and the \proglang{C++} library the code must link against.

On the Linux command-line, you can do the following:

``{bash, eval = FALSE} $ # if Rcpp older than 0.11.0 $ export PKG_LIBS=Rscript -e "Rcpp:::LdFlags()"$ export PKG_CXXFLAGS=\Rscript -e "Rcpp:::CxxFlags()"` $ R CMD SHLIB myfile.cpp

which first defines and exports two relevant environment variables which
`R CMD SHLIB` then relies on.  On other operating systems, appropriate
settings may have to be used to define the environment variables.

This approach corresponds to the very earliest ways of building programs and
can still be found in some deprecated documents (as _e.g._ some of
Dirk's older 'Intro to HPC with R' tutorial slides).  It is still not
recommended as there are tools and automation mechanisms that can do the work
for you.

\pkg{Rcpp} versions 0.11.0 or later can do with the definition of
`PKG_LIBS` as a user-facing library is no longer needed (and hence no
longer shipped with the package).  One still needs to set `PKG_CXXFLAGS`
to tell R where the \pkg{Rcpp} headers files are located.

Once `R CMD SHLIB` has created the dyanmically-loadable file (with
extension `.so` on Linux, `.dylib` on OS X or `.dll` on
Windows), it can be loaded in an R session via \rdoc{base}{dyn.load}, and the
function can be executed via \rdoc{base}{.Call}.  Needless to say, we
\emph{strongly} recommend using a package, or at least Rcpp Attributes as
either approach takes care of a lot of these tedious and error-prone manual
steps.


## But R CMD SHLIB still does not work 

We have had reports in the past where build failures occurred when users had
non-standard code in their `~/.Rprofile` or `Rprofile.site` (or
equivalent) files.

If such code emits text on `stdout`, the frequent and implicit
invocation of `Rscript -e "..."` (as in \faq{using-r-cmd-shlib}
above) to retrieve settings directly from \pkg{Rcpp} will fail.

You may need to uncomment such non-standard code, or protect it by wrapping
it inside `if (interactive())`, or possibly try to use 
`Rscript --vanilla` instead of plain `Rscript`.

## What about `LinkingTo `

\proglang{R} has only limited support for cross-package linkage.

We now employ the `LinkingTo` field of the `DESCRIPTION` file
of packages using \pkg{Rcpp}. But this only helps in having \proglang{R}
compute the location of the header files for us.

The actual library location and argument still needs to be provided by the
user. How to do so has been shown above, and we recommned you use either
\faq{make-package} or \faq{using-inline} both which use the \pkg{Rcpp}
function `Rcpp:::LdFlags()`.

If and when `LinkingTo` changes and lives up to its name, we will be
sure to adapt \pkg{Rcpp} as well.

An important change arrive with \pkg{Rcpp} release 0.11.0 and concern the
automatic registration of functions; see Section~\ref{function-registration} below.


## Does \pkg{Rcpp} work on windows

Yes of course. See the Windows binaries provided by CRAN.

## Can I use \pkg{Rcpp} with Visual Studio

Not a chance.

And that is not because we are meanies but because \proglang{R} and Visual
Studio simply do not get along. As \pkg{Rcpp} is all about extending
\proglang{R} with \proglang{C++} interfaces, we are bound by the available
toolchain.  And \proglang{R} simply does not compile with Visual Studio. Go
complain to its vendor if you are still upset.

## I am having problems building Rcpp on macOS, any help  {#q:OSX}

There are three known issues regarding Rcpp build problems on macOS.  If you are
building packages with RcppArmadillo, there is yet another issue that is
addressed separately in \faq{q:OSXArma} below.

### Lack of a Compiler

By default, macOS does not ship with an active compiler. Depending on the
\proglang{R} version being used, there are different development environment
setup procedures. For the current \proglang{R} version, we recommend observing
the official procedure used in
[Section 6.3.2 macOS](https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/R-admin.html#macOS-packages)
and [Section C.3 macOS](https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/R-admin.html#macOS)
of the [R Installation and Administration](https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/R-admin.html)
manual.

### Differing macOS R Versions Leading to Binary Failures

There are currently _three_ distinct versions of R for macOS.
The first version is a legacy version meant for macOS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) -
10.8 (Mountain Lion). The second version is for more recent system
macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) and 10.10 (Yosemite). Finally, the third and most
up-to-date version supports macOS 10.11 (El Capitan), 10.12 (Sierra), and 10.13 (High Sierra).
The distinction comes as a result of a change in the compilers shipped with the
operating system as highlighted previously. As a result, avoid sending
\textbf{package binaries} to collaborators if they are working on older
operating systems as the \proglang{R} binaries for these versions will not be
able to mix. In such cases, it is better to provide collaborators with the
\textbf{package source} and allow them to build the package locally.

### OpenMP Support

By default, the macOS operating environment lacks the ability to parallelize
sections of code using the  \proglang{[OpenMP](http://openmp.org/wp/)}
standard. Within \proglang{R} 3.4.*, the default developer environment was
_changed_ to allow for \proglang{OpenMP} to be used on macOS by using
a non-default toolchain provided by R Core Team maintainers for macOS.
Having said this, it is still important to protect any reference to
\proglang{OpenMP} as some users may not yet have the ability to
use \proglang{OpenMP}.

To setup the appropriate protection for using \proglang{OpenMP}, the process
is two-fold. First, protect the inclusion of headers with:

```cpp
#ifdef _OPENMP
  #include <omp.h>
#endif

Second, when parallelizing portions of code use:

#ifdef _OPENMP
    // multithreaded OpenMP version of code
#else
    // single-threaded version of code
#endif

Under this approach, the code will be safely parallelized when support exists for \proglang{OpenMP} on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Additional Information and Help

Below are additional resources that provide information regarding compiling Rcpp code on macOS.

  1. A helpful post was provided by Brian Ripley regarding the use of compiling R code with macOS in April 2014 on the r-sig-mac list, which is generally recommended for OS X-specific questions and further consultation.
  2. Another helpful write-up for installation / compilation on OS X Mavericks is provided by the BioConductor project.
  3. Lastly, another resource that exists for installation / compilation help is provided at http://thecoatlessprofessor.com/programming/r-compiler-tools-for-rcpp-on-os-x/.

\textbf{Note:} If you are running into trouble compiling code with \pkg{RcppArmadillo}, please also see \faq{q:OSXArma} listed below.

Does \pkg{Rcpp} work on solaris/suncc

Yes, it generally does. But as we do not have access to such systems, some issues persist on the CRAN test systems.

Does \pkg{Rcpp} work with Revolution R

We have not tested it yet. \pkg{Rcpp} might need a few tweaks to work with the compilers used by Revolution R (if those differ from the defaults).

Is it related to Rho (formerly CXXR)

Rho, previously known as CXXR, is an ambitious project that aims to totally refactor the \proglang{R} interpreter in \proglang{C++}. There are a few similaritites with \pkg{Rcpp} but the projects are unrelated.

Rho / CXXR and \pkg{Rcpp} both want \proglang{R} to make more use of \proglang{C++} but they do it in very different ways.

How do I quickly prototype my code using Attributes {#prototype-using-attributes}

\pkg{Rcpp} version 0.10.0 and later offer a new feature 'Rcpp Attributes' which is described in detail in its own vignette \citep{CRAN:Rcpp:Attributes}. In short, it offers functions \rdoc{Rcpp}{evalCpp}, \rdoc{Rcpp}{cppFunction} and \rdoc{Rcpp}{sourceCpp} which extend the functionality of the \rdoc{Rcpp}{cxxfunction} function.

What about the new 'no-linking' feature {#function-registration}

Starting with \pkg{Rcpp} 0.11.0, functionality provided by \pkg{Rcpp} and used by packages built with \pkg{Rcpp} accessed via the registration facility offered by R (and which is used by \pkg{lme4} and \pkg{Matrix}, as well as by \pkg{xts} and \pkg{zoo}). This requires no effort from the user / programmer, and even frees us from explicit linking instruction. In most cases, the files src/Makevars and src/Makevars.win can now be removed. Exceptions are the use of \pkg{RcppArmadillo} (which needs an entry PKG_LIBS=$(LAPACK_LIBS) $(BLAS_LIBS) $(FLIBS)) and packages linking to external libraries they use.

But for most packages using \pkg{Rcpp}, only two things are required:

The name of the symbol does not really matter; once one symbol is imported all symbols should be available.

I am having problems building RcppArmadillo on macOS, any help {#q:OSXArma}

Odds are your build failures are due to the absence of gfortran and its associated libraries. The errors that you may receive are related to either -lgfortran or -lquadmath.

To rectify the root of these errors, there are two options available. The first option is to download and use a fixed set of gfortran binaries that are used to compile R for macOS (e.g. given by the maintainers of the macOS build). The second option is to either use pre-existing gfortran binaries on your machine or download the latest. These options are described in-depth in Section C.3 macOS of the R Installation and Administration manual. Please consult this manual for up-to-date information regarding gfortran binaries on macOS. We have also documented other common macOS compile issues in Section \faq{q:OSX}.

Examples

The following questions were asked on the Rcpp-devel mailing list, which is our preferred place to ask questions as it guarantees exposure to a number of advanced Rcpp users. The StackOverflow tag for rcpp is an alternative; that site is also easily searchable.

Several dozen fully documented examples are provided at the Rcpp Gallery -- which is also open for new contributions.

Can I use templates with \pkg{Rcpp}

I'm curious whether one can provide a class definition inline in an R script and then initialize an instance of the class and call a method on the class, all inline in R.

This question was initially about using templates with \pkg{inline}, and we show that (older) answer first. It is also easy with Rcpp Attributes which is what we show below.

Using inline with Templated Code

Most certainly, consider this simple example of a templated class which squares its argument:

inc <- 'template <typename T>
        class square :
          public std::unary_function<T,T> {
            public:
              T operator()( T t) const {
                return t*t;
              }
        };
       '

src <- '
       double x = Rcpp::as<double>(xs);
       int i = Rcpp::as<int>(is);
       square<double> sqdbl;
       square<int> sqint;
       return Rcpp::DataFrame::create(
                    Rcpp::Named("x", sqdbl(x)),
                    Rcpp::Named("i", sqint(i)));
       '
fun <- cxxfunction(signature(xs="numeric",
                             is="integer"),
                   body=src, include=inc,
                   plugin="Rcpp")

fun(2.2, 3L)

Using Rcpp Attributes with Templated Code

We can also use 'Rcpp Attributes' \citep{CRAN:Rcpp:Attributes}---as described in \faq{using-attributes} and \faq{prototype-using-attributes} above. Simply place the following code into a file and use \rdoc{Rcpp}{sourceCpp} on it. It will even run the R part at the end.

#include <Rcpp.h>

template <typename T> class square :
    public std::unary_function<T,T> {
      public:
      T operator()( T t) const { 
        return t*t ;
      }
};

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::DataFrame fun(double x, int i) {
       square<double> sqdbl;
       square<int> sqint;
       return Rcpp::DataFrame::create(
           Rcpp::Named("x", sqdbl(x)),
           Rcpp::Named("i", sqint(i)));
}

/*** R
fun(2.2, 3L)
*/

Can I do matrix algebra with Rcpp {#matrix-algebra}

\pkg{Rcpp} allows element-wise operations on vector and matrices through operator overloading and STL interface, but what if I want to multiply a matrix by a vector, etc ...

\noindent Currently, \pkg{Rcpp} does not provide binary operators to allow operations involving entire objects. Adding operators to \pkg{Rcpp} would be a major project (if done right) involving advanced techniques such as expression templates. We currently do not plan to go in this direction, but we would welcome external help. Please send us a design document.

However, we have developed the \pkg{RcppArmadillo} package \citep{CRAN:RcppArmadillo,Eddelbuettel+Sanderson:2014:RcppArmadillo} that provides a bridge between \pkg{Rcpp} and \pkg{Armadillo} \citep{Sanderson:2010:Armadillo}. \pkg{Armadillo} supports binary operators on its types in a way that takes full advantage of expression templates to remove temporaries and allow chaining of operations. That is a mouthful of words meaning that it makes the code go faster by using fiendishly clever ways available via the so-called template meta programming, an advanced \proglang{C++} technique. Also, the \pkg{RcppEigen} package \citep{JSS:RcppEigen} provides an alternative using the Eigen template library.

Using inline with RcppArmadillo {#using-inline-armadillo}

The following example is adapted from the examples available at the project page of Armadillo. It calculates $x' \times Y^{-1} \times z$

lines = '// copy the data to armadillo structures
arma::colvec x = Rcpp::as<arma::colvec> (x_);
arma::mat Y = Rcpp::as<arma::mat>(Y_) ;
arma::colvec z = Rcpp::as<arma::colvec>(z_) ;

// calculate the result
double result = arma::as_scalar(
                 arma::trans(x) * arma::inv(Y) * z
                );

// return it to R
return Rcpp::wrap( result );'

writeLines(a, file = "myfile.cpp")

If stored in a file myfile.cpp, we can use it via \pkg{inline}:

fx <- cxxfunction(signature(x_="numeric", 
                            Y_="matrix",
                            z_="numeric" ),
                  paste(readLines("myfile.cpp"),
                        collapse="\n"),
                  plugin="RcppArmadillo" )
fx(1:4, diag(4), 1:4)

The focus is on the code arma::trans(x) * arma::inv(Y) * z, which performs the same operation as the R code t(x) %*% solve(Y) %*% z, although Armadillo turns it into only one operation, which makes it quite fast. Armadillo benchmarks against other \proglang{C++} matrix algebra libraries are provided on the Armadillo website.

It should be noted that code below depends on the version 0.3.5 of \pkg{inline} and the version 0.2.2 of \pkg{RcppArmadillo}.

Using Rcpp Attributes with RcppArmadillo

We can also write the same example for use with Rcpp Attributes:

#include <RcppArmadillo.h>

// [[Rcpp::depends(RcppArmadillo)]]

// [[Rcpp::export]]
double fx(arma::colvec x, arma::mat Y,
          arma::colvec z) {
    // calculate the result
    double result = arma::as_scalar(
        arma::trans(x) * arma::inv(Y) * z
    );
    return result;
}

/*** R
fx(1:4, diag(4), 1:4)
*/

Here, the additional Rcpp::depends(RcppArmadillo) ensures that code can be compiled against the \pkg{RcppArmadillo} header, and that the correct libraries are linked to the function built from the supplied code example.

Note how we do not have to concern ourselves with conversion; R object automatically become (Rcpp)Armadillo objects and we can focus on the single computing a (scalar) result.

Can I use code from the Rmath header and library with \pkg{Rcpp}

Can I call functions defined in the Rmath header file and the standalone math library for R--as for example the random number generators?

\noindent Yes, of course. This math library exports a subset of R, but \pkg{Rcpp} has access to much more. Here is another simple example. Note how we have to use and instance of the RNGScope class to set and re-set the random-number generator. This also illustrates Rcpp sugar as we are using a vectorised call to rnorm. Moreover, because the RNG is reset, the two calls result in the same random draws. If we wanted to control the draws, we could explicitly set the seed after the RNGScope object has been instantiated.

fx <- cxxfunction(signature(),
                  'RNGScope();
                   return rnorm(5, 0, 100);',
                  plugin="Rcpp")
set.seed(42)
fx()
fx()

Newer versions of Rcpp also provide the actual Rmath function in the R namespace, \textsl{i.e.} as R::rnorm(m,s) to obtain a scalar random variable distributed as $N(m,s)$.

Using Rcpp Attributes, this can be as simple as

cppFunction('Rcpp::NumericVector ff(int n) { 
              return rnorm(n, 0, 100);  }')
set.seed(42)
ff(5)
ff(5)
set.seed(42)
rnorm(5, 0, 100)
rnorm(5, 0, 100)

This illustrates the Rcpp Attributes adds the required RNGScope object for us. It also shows how setting the seed from R affects draws done via C++ as well as R, and that identical random number draws are obtained.

Can I use NA and Inf with \pkg{Rcpp}

R knows about NA and Inf. How do I use them from C++?

\noindent Yes, see the following example:

src <- 'Rcpp::NumericVector v(4);
        v[0] = R_NegInf; // -Inf
        v[1] = NA_REAL;  // NA
        v[2] = R_PosInf; // Inf
        v[3] = 42;       // c.f. Hitchhiker Guide
        return Rcpp::wrap(v);'
fun <- cxxfunction(signature(), src, plugin="Rcpp")
fun()

Similarly, for Rcpp Attributes:

#include <Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::NumericVector fun(void) {
    Rcpp::NumericVector v(4);
    v[0] = R_NegInf; // -Inf
    v[1] = NA_REAL;  // NA
    v[2] = R_PosInf; // Inf
    v[3] = 42;       // c.f. Hitchhiker Guide
    return v;
}

Can I easily multiply matrices

Can I multiply matrices easily?

\noindent Yes, via the \pkg{RcppArmadillo} package which builds upon \pkg{Rcpp} and the wonderful Armadillo library described above in \faq{matrix-algebra}:

txt <- 'arma::mat Am = Rcpp::as< arma::mat >(A);
        arma::mat Bm = Rcpp::as< arma::mat >(B);
        return Rcpp::wrap( Am * Bm );'
mmult <- cxxfunction(signature(A="numeric",
                               B="numeric"),
                     body=txt,
                     plugin="RcppArmadillo")
A <- matrix(1:9, 3, 3)
B <- matrix(9:1, 3, 3)
C <- mmult(A, B)

Armadillo supports a full range of common linear algebra operations.

The \pkg{RcppEigen} package provides an alternative using the Eigen template library.

Rcpp Attributes, once again, makes this even easier:

#include <RcppArmadillo.h>

// [[Rcpp::depends(RcppArmadillo)]]

// [[Rcpp::export]]
arma::mat mult(arma::mat A, arma::mat B) {
    return A*B;
}

/*** R
A <- matrix(1:9, 3, 3)
B <- matrix(9:1, 3, 3)
mult(A,B)
*/

which can be built, and run, from R via a simple \rdoc{Rcpp}{sourceCpp} call---and will also run the small R example at the end.

How do I write a plugin for \pkg{inline} and/or Rcpp Attributes

How can I create my own plugin for use by the \pkg{inline} package?

Here is an example which shows how to it using GSL libraries as an example. This is merely for demonstration, it is also not perfectly general as we do not detect locations first---but it serves as an example:

# simple example of seeding RNG and
# drawing one random number
gslrng <- '
int seed = Rcpp::as<int>(par) ;
gsl_rng_env_setup();
gsl_rng *r = gsl_rng_alloc (gsl_rng_default);
gsl_rng_set (r, (unsigned long) seed);
double v = gsl_rng_get (r);
gsl_rng_free(r);
return Rcpp::wrap(v);'

plug <- Rcpp:::Rcpp.plugin.maker(
    include.before = "#include <gsl/gsl_rng.h>",
    libs = paste(
"-L/usr/local/lib/R/site-library/Rcpp/lib -lRcpp",
"-Wl,-rpath,/usr/local/lib/R/site-library/Rcpp/lib",
"-L/usr/lib -lgsl -lgslcblas -lm")
)
registerPlugin("gslDemo", plug )
fun <- cxxfunction(signature(par="numeric"),
                   gslrng, plugin="gslDemo")
fun(0)

Here the \pkg{Rcpp} function Rcpp.plugin.maker is used to create a plugin 'plug' which is then registered, and subsequently used by \pkg{inline}.

The same plugins can be used by Rcpp Attributes as well.

How can I pass one additional flag to the compiler

How can I pass another flag to the g++ compiler without writing a new plugin?

The quickest way is to modify the return value from an existing plugin. Here we use the default one from \pkg{Rcpp} itself in order to pass the new flag -std=c++0x. As it does not set the PKG_CXXFLAGS variable, we simply assign this. For other plugins, one may need to append to the existing values instead.

myplugin <- getPlugin("Rcpp")
myplugin$env$PKG_CXXFLAGS <- "-std=c++11"
f <- cxxfunction(signature(), 
                 settings = myplugin, body = '
    // fails without -std=c++0x
    std::vector<double> x = { 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 }; 
    return Rcpp::wrap(x);
')
f()

For Rcpp Attributes, the attributes Rcpp::plugin() can be used. Currently supported plugins are for C++11 as well as for OpenMP.

How can I set matrix row and column names

Ok, I can create a matrix, but how do I set its row and columns names?

Pretty much the same way as in \proglang{R} itself: We define a list with two character vectors, one each for row and column names, and assign this to the dimnames attribute:

src <- '
  Rcpp::NumericMatrix x(2,2);
  x.fill(42);           // or another value
  Rcpp::List dimnms =   // list with 2 vecs
    Rcpp::List::create( // with static names
      Rcpp::CharacterVector::create("cc", "dd"),
      Rcpp::CharacterVector::create("ee", "ff")
    );
  // and assign it
  x.attr("dimnames") = dimnms;
  return(x);
'
fun <- cxxfunction(signature(), 
                   body=src, plugin="Rcpp")
fun()

The same logic, but used with Rcpp Attributes:

#include <Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::List fun(void) {
    Rcpp::NumericMatrix x(2,2);
    x.fill(42);           // or another value
    Rcpp::List dimnms =   // list with 2 vecs
      Rcpp::List::create( // with static names
        Rcpp::CharacterVector::create("cc", "dd"),
        Rcpp::CharacterVector::create("ee", "ff"));
    // and assign it
    x.attr("dimnames") = dimnms;
    return(x);
}

Why can long long types not be cast correctly

That is a good and open question. We rely on the basic \proglang{R} types, notably integer and numeric. These can be cast to and from \proglang{C++} types without problems. But there are corner cases. The following example, contributed by a user, shows that we cannot reliably cast long types (on a 64-bit machines).

BigInts <- cxxfunction(signature(),
  'std::vector<long> bigints;
   bigints.push_back(12345678901234567LL);
   bigints.push_back(12345678901234568LL);
   Rprintf("Difference of %ld\\n",
       12345678901234568LL - 12345678901234567LL);
   return wrap(bigints);',
  plugin="Rcpp", includes="#include <vector>")

retval <- BigInts()

# Unique 64-bit integers were cast to identical
# lower precision numerics behind my back with
# no warnings or errors whatsoever.  Error.

stopifnot(length(unique(retval)) == 2)

While the difference of one is evident at the \proglang{C++} level, it is no longer present once cast to \proglang{R}. The 64-bit integer values get cast to a floating point types with a 53-bit mantissa. We do not have a good suggestion or fix for casting 64-bit integer values: 32-bit integer values fit into integer types, up to 53 bit precision fits into numeric and beyond that truly large integers may have to converted (rather crudely) to text and re-parsed. Using a different representation as for example from the GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library may be an alternative.

What LaTeX packages do I need to typeset the vignettes

I would like to typeset the vignettes. What do I need?

The TeXLive distribution seems to get bigger and bigger. What you need to install may depend on your operating system.

Specific per-platform notes:

Why is there a limit of 20 on some constructors

Ok, I would like to pass $N$ object but you only allow 20. How come?

In essence, and in order to be able to compile it with the largest number of compilers, \pkg{Rcpp} is constrained by the older C++ standards which do not support variadic function arguments. So we actually use macros and code generator scripts to explicitly enumerate arguments, and that number has to stop at some limit. We chose 20.

A good discussion is available at this StackOverflow question concering data.frame creation with \pkg{Rcpp}. One solution offers a custom ListBuilder class to circumvent the limit; another suggests to simply nest lists.

Can I use default function parameters with \pkg{Rcpp}

Yes, you can use default parameters with some limitations. The limitations are mainly related to string literals and empty vectors. This is what is currently supported:

To illustrate, please consider the following example that provides a short how-to:

#include <Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void sample_defaults(
        NumericVector x =
        NumericVector::create(), // Size 0 vector
        bool bias = true,        // Set to true
        std::string method = 
            "rcpp rules!") {     // Set string

    Rcpp::Rcout << "x size: " << x.size() << ", ";
    Rcpp::Rcout << "bias value: " << bias << ", ";
    Rcpp::Rcout << "method value: " << ".";

}

/*** R
sample_defaults()                 # all defaults
sample_defaults(1:5)              # supply x values

sample_defaults(bias = FALSE,     # supply bool
                method = "Rlang") # and string
*/

Note: In cpp, the default bool values are true and false whereas in R the valid types are TRUE or FALSE.

Can I use C++11, C++14, C++17, ... with \pkg{Rcpp}

But of course. In a nutshell, this boils down to \emph{what your compiler supports}, and also \emph{what R supports}. We expanded a little on this in Rcpp Gallery article providing more detail. What follows in an abridged summary.

You can always \emph{locally} set appropriate PKG_CXXFLAGS as an environment variable, or via ~/.R/Makevars. You can also plugins and/or R support from src/Makevars:

Support

Is the API documented

You bet. We use \proglang{doxygen} to generate html, latex and man page documentation from the source. The html documentation is available for browsing, as a very large pdf file, and all three formats are also available a zip-archives: html, latex, and man.

Does it really work

We take quality seriously and have developped an extensive unit test suite to cover many possible uses of the \pkg{Rcpp} API.

We are always on the look for more coverage in our testing. Please let us know if something has not been tested enough.

Where can I ask further questions

The Rcpp-devel mailing list hosted at R-forge is by far the best place. You may also want to look at the list archives to see if your question has been asked before.

You can also use StackOverflow via its 'rcpp' tag.

Where can I read old questions and answers

The normal Rcpp-devel mailing list hosting at R-forge contains an archive, which can be searched via swish.

Alternatively, one can also use Gmane on Rcpp-devel as well as Mail-Archive on Rcpp-devel both of which offer web-based interfaces, including searching.

I like it. How can I help {#helping}

We maintain a list of open issues in the Github repository. We welcome pull requests and suggest that code submissions come corresponding unit tests and, if applicable, documentation.

If you are willing to donate time and have skills in C++, let us know. If you are willing to donate money to sponsor improvements, let us know too.

You can also spread the word about \pkg{Rcpp}. There are many packages on CRAN that use \proglang{C++}, yet are not using \pkg{Rcpp}. You could blog about it, or get the word out otherwise.

Last but not least the Rcpp Gallery is open for user contributions.

I don't like it. How can I help {#dont-like-help}

It is very generous of you to still want to help. Perhaps you can tell us what it is that you dislike. We are very open to \emph{constructive} criticism.

Can I have commercial support for \pkg{Rcpp}

Sure you can. Just send us an email, and we will be happy to discuss the request.

I want to learn quickly. Do you provide training courses

Yes. Just send us an email.

Where is the code repository

From late 2008 to late 2013, we used the Subversion repository at R-Forge which contained \pkg{Rcpp} and a number of related packages. It still has the full history as well as number of support files.

We have since switched to a Git repository at Github for \pkg{Rcpp} (as well as for \pkg{RcppArmadillo} and \pkg{RcppEigen}).

Known Issues

Contained within this section is a list of known issues regarding \pkg{Rcpp}. The issues listed here are either not able to be fixed due to breaking application binary interface (ABI), would impact the ability to reproduce pre-existing results, or require significant work. Generally speaking, these issues come to light only when pushing the edge capabilities of \pkg{Rcpp}.

\pkg{Rcpp} changed the (const) object I passed by value

\pkg{Rcpp} objects are wrappers around the underlying \proglang{R} objects' SEXP, or S-expression. The SEXP is a pointer variable that holds the location of where the \proglang{R} object data has been stored \citep[][Section 1.1]{R:Internals}. That is to say, the SEXP does not hold the actual data of the \proglang{R} object but merely a reference to where the data resides. When creating a new \pkg{Rcpp} object for an \proglang{R} object to enter \proglang{C++}, this object will use the same SEXP that powers the original \proglang{R} object if the types match otherwise a new SEXP must be created to be type safe. In essence, the underlying SEXP objects are passed by reference without explicit copies being made into \proglang{C++}. We refer to this arrangement as a proxy model.

As for the actual implementation, there are a few consequences of the proxy model. The foremost consequence within this paradigm is that pass by value is really a pass by reference. In essence, the distinction between the following two functions is only visual sugar:

void implicit_ref(NumericVector X);
void explicit_ref(NumericVector& X);

In particular, when one is passing by value what occurs is the instantiation of the new \pkg{Rcpp} object that uses the same SEXP for the \proglang{R} object. As a result, the \pkg{Rcpp} object is ``linked'' to the original \proglang{R} object. Thus, if an operation is performed on the \pkg{Rcpp} object, such as adding 1 to each element, the operation also updates the \proglang{R} object causing the change to be propagated to \proglang{R}'s interactive environment.

#include<Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void implicit_ref(Rcpp::NumericVector X) {
   X = X + 1.0;
}

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void explicit_ref(Rcpp::NumericVector& X) {
   X = X + 1.0;
}

R use:

a <- 1.5:4.5
b <- 1.5:4.5
implicit_ref(a)
a
explicit_ref(b)
b

There are two exceptions to this rule. The first exception is that a deep copy of the object can be made by explicit use of Rcpp:clone(). In this case, the cloned object has no link to the original \proglang{R} object. However, there is a time cost associated with this procedure as new memory must be allocated and the previous values must be copied over. The second exception, which was previously foreshadowed, is encountered when \pkg{Rcpp} and \proglang{R} object types do not match. One frequent example of this case is when the \proglang{R} object generated from seq() or a:b reports a class of "integer" while the \pkg{Rcpp} object is setup to receive the class of "numeric" as its object is set to NumericVector or NumericMatrix. In such cases, this would lead to a new SEXP object being created behind the scenes and, thus, there would not be a link between the \pkg{Rcpp} object and \proglang{R} object. So, any changes in \proglang{C++} would not be propagated to \proglang{R} unless otherwise specified.

#include<Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void int_vec_type(Rcpp::IntegerVector X) {
   X = X + 1.0;
}

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void num_vec_type(Rcpp::NumericVector X) {
   X = X + 1.0;
}

R use:

a <- 1:5
b <- 1:5
class(a)
int_vec_type(a)
a
num_vec_type(b)
b

With this being said, there is one last area of contention with the proxy model: the keyword const. The const declaration indicates that an object is not allowed to be modified by any action. Due to the way the proxy model paradigm works, there is a way to `override'' theconstdesignation. Simply put, one can create a new \pkg{Rcpp} object without theconstdeclaration from a pre-existing one. As a result, the new \pkg{Rcpp} object would be allowed to be modified by the compiler and, thus, modifying the initialSEXP` object. Therefore, the initially secure \proglang{R} object would be altered. To illustrate this phenomenon, consider the following scenario:

#include <Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::NumericVector const_override_ex(
        const Rcpp::NumericVector& X) {

  Rcpp::NumericVector Y(X); // Create object
                            // from SEXP

  Y = Y * 2;                // Modify new object

  return X;                 // Return old object
}

R use:

x <- 1:10
const_override_ex(x)
x

Issues with implicit conversion from an \pkg{Rcpp} object to a scalar or other \pkg{Rcpp} object

Not all \pkg{Rcpp} expressions are directly compatible with operator=. Compability issues stem from many \pkg{Rcpp} objects and functions returning an intermediary result which requires an explicit conversion. In such cases, the user may need to assist the compiler with the conversion.

There are two ways to assist with the conversion. The first is to construct storage variable for a result, calculate the result, and then store a value into it. This is typically what is needed when working with Character<Type> and String in \pkg{Rcpp} due to the Rcpp::internal::string_proxy class. Within the following code snippet, the aforementioned approach is emphasized:

#include<Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
std::string explicit_string_conv(
        Rcpp::CharacterVector X) {

    std::string s;  // define storage
    s = X[0];       // assign from CharacterVector

    return s;
}

If one were to use a direct allocation and assignment strategy, e.g. std::string s = X[0], this would result in the compiler triggering a conversion error on some platforms. The error would be similar to:

```{bash, eval = FALSE} error: no viable conversion from 'Proxy' (aka 'string_proxy<16>') to 'std::string' (aka 'basic_string, allocator >')

The second way to help the compiler is to use an explicit \pkg{Rcpp} type conversion
function, if one were to exist. Examples of \pkg{Rcpp} type conversion functions
include `as<T>()`, `.get()` for `cumsum()`, `is_true()`
and `is_false()` for `any()` or `all()`.


## Using `operator=` with a scalar replaced the object instead of filling element-wise

Assignment using the `operator=` with either `Vector` and
`Matrix` classes will not elicit an element-wise fill. If you seek an
element-wise fill, then use the `.fill()` member method to propagate a
single value throughout the object. With this being said, the behavior of
`operator=` differs for the `Vector` and `Matrix` classes.

The implementation of the `operator=` for the `Vector` class will
replace the existing vector with the assigned value. This behavior is valid
even if the assigned value is a scalar value such as 3.14 or 25 as the object
is cast into the appropriate \pkg{Rcpp} object type. Therefore, if a
`Vector` is initialized to have a length of 10 and a scalar is assigned
via `operator=`, then the resulting `Vector` would have a length of
1. See the following code snippet for the aforementioned behavior.

```cpp
#include<Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void vec_scalar_assign(int n, double fill_val) {
  Rcpp::NumericVector X(n);
  Rcpp::Rcout << "Value of Vector " << 
      "on Creation: " << 
      std::endl << X << std::endl;

  X = fill_val;

  Rcpp::Rcout << "Value of Vector " <<
      "after Assignment: " << 
      std::endl << X << std::endl;
}

R use:

vec_scalar_assign(5L, 3.14)

Now, the Matrix class does not define its own operator= but instead uses the Vector class implementation. This leads to unexpected results while attempting to use the assignment operator with a scalar. In particular, the scalar will be coerced into a square Matrix and then assigned. For an example of this behavior, consider the following code:

#include<Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
void mat_scalar_assign(int n, double fill_val) {
  Rcpp::NumericMatrix X(n, n);
  Rcpp::Rcout << "Value of Matrix " <<
      "on Creation: " <<
      std::endl << X << std::endl;

  X = fill_val;

  Rcpp::Rcout << "Value of Matrix " <<
      "after Assignment: " <<
      std::endl << X << std::endl;
}

R use:

mat_scalar_assign(2L, 3.0)

Long Vector support on Windows

Prior to \proglang{R}'s 3.0.0, the largest vector one could obtain was at most $2^{31} - 1$ elements. With the release of \proglang{R}'s 3.0.0, long vector support was added to allow for largest vector possible to increase up to $2^{52}$ elements on x64 bit operating systems (c.f. Long Vectors help entry). Once this was established, support for long vectors within the \pkg{Rcpp} paradigm was introduced with \pkg{Rcpp} version 0.12.0 (c.f \pkg{Rcpp} 0.12.0 annoucement).

However, the requirement for using long vectors in \pkg{Rcpp} necessitates the presence of compiler support for the R_xlen_t, which is platform dependent on how ptrdiff_t is implemented. Unfortunately, this means that on the Windows platform the definition of R_xlen_t is of type long instead of long long when compiling under the \proglang{C++98} specification. Therefore, to solve this issue one must compile under the specification for \proglang{C++11} or later version.

There are three options to trigger compilation with \proglang{C++11}. The first -- and most likely option to use -- will be the plugin support offered by \pkg{Rcpp} attributes. This is engaged by adding // [[Rcpp::plugins(cpp11)]] to the top of the \proglang{C++} script. For diagnostic and illustrativative purposes, consider the following code which checks to see if R_xlen_t is available on your platform:

#include <Rcpp.h>
// Force compilation mode to C++11
// [[Rcpp::plugins(cpp11)]]

// [[Rcpp::export]]
bool test_long_vector_support() {
#ifdef RCPP_HAS_LONG_LONG_TYPES
  return true;
#else
  return false;
#endif
}

R use:

test_long_vector_support()

The remaining two options are for users who have opted to embed \pkg{Rcpp} code within an \proglang{R} package. In particular, the second option requires adding CXX_STD = CXX11 to a Makevars file found in the /src directory. Finally, the third option is to add SystemRequirements:C++11 in the package's DESCRIPTION file.

Please note that the support for \proglang{C++11} prior to \proglang{R} v3.3.0 on Windows is limited. Therefore, plan accordingly if the goal is to support older versions of \proglang{R}.

Sorting with STL on a CharacterVector produces problematic results

The Standard Template Library's (STL) std::sort algorithm performs adequately for the majority of \pkg{Rcpp} data types. The notable exception that makes what would otherwise be a universal quantifier into an existential quantifier is the CharacterVector data type. Chiefly, the issue with sorting strings is related to how the CharacterVector relies upon the use of Rcpp::internal::string_proxy. In particular, Rcpp::internal::string_proxy is not MoveAssignable since the left hand side of operator=(const string_proxy \&rhs) is not viewed as equivalent to the right hand side before the operation \citep[][p. 466, Table 22]{Cpp11}. This further complicates matters when using CharacterVector with std::swap, std::move, std::copy and their variants.

To avoid unwarranted pain with sorting, the preferred approach is to use the .sort() member function of \pkg{Rcpp} objects. The member function correctly applies the sorting procedure to \pkg{Rcpp} objects regardless of type. Though, sorting is slightly problematic due to locale as explained in the next entry. In the interim, the following code example illustrates the preferred approach alongside the problematic STL approach:

#include <Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::CharacterVector preferred_sort(
        Rcpp::CharacterVector x) {

  Rcpp::CharacterVector y = Rcpp::clone(x);
  y.sort();

  return y;
}

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::CharacterVector stl_sort(
        Rcpp::CharacterVector x) {

  Rcpp::CharacterVector y = Rcpp::clone(x);
  std::sort(y.begin(), y.end());

  return y;
}

R use:

set.seed(123)
(X <- sample(c(LETTERS[1:5], letters[1:6]), 11))
preferred_sort(X)
stl_sort(X)

In closing, the results of using the STL approach do change depending on whether libc++ or libstdc++ standard library is used to compile the code. When debugging, this does make the issue particularly complex to sort out. Principally, compilation with libc++ and STL has been shown to yield the correct results. However, it is not wise to rely upon this library as a majority of code is compiled against libstdc++ as it more complete.

Lexicographic order of string sorting differs due to capitalization

Comparing strings within \proglang{R} hinges on the ability to process the locale or native-language environment of the string. In \proglang{R}, there is a function called Scollate that performs the comparison on locale. Unfortunately, this function has not been made publicly available and, thus, \pkg{Rcpp} does not have access to it within its implementation of StrCmp. As a result, strings that are sorted under the .sort() member function are ordered improperly. Specifically, if capitalization is present, then capitalized words are sorted together followed by the sorting of lowercase words instead of a mixture of capitalized and lowercase words. The issue is illustrated by the following code example:

#include <Rcpp.h>

// [[Rcpp::export]]
Rcpp::CharacterVector rcpp_sort(
        Rcpp::CharacterVector X) {
  X.sort();
  return X;
}

R use:

x <- c("B", "b", "c", "A", "a")
sort(x)
rcpp_sort(x)

Package building fails with 'symbols not found'

R 3.4.0 and later strongly encourage registering dynamically loadable symbols. In the stronger form (where .registration=TRUE is added to the useDynLib() statement in NAMESPACE), only registered symbols can be loaded. This is fully supported by Rcpp 0.12.12 and later, and the required code is added to src/RcppExports.cpp.

However, the transition from the previously generated file src/RcppExports.cpp to the new one may require running compileAttributes() twice (which does not happen when, e.g., devtools is used). When Rcpp::compileAttributes() is called, it also calls tools::package_native_routine_registration_skeleton(), which crawls through usages of .Call() in the R/ source files of the package to figure out what routines need to be registered. If an older RcppExports.R file is discovered, its out-of-date symbol names get picked up, and registration rules for those symbols get written as well. This will register more symbols for the package than are actually defined, leading to an error. This point has been discussed at some length both in the GitHub issue tickes, on StackOverflow and elsewhere.

So if your autogenerated file fails, and a symbols not found error is reported by the linker, consider running compileAttributes() twice. Deleting R/RcppExports.R and src/RcppExports.cpp may also work.



UBC-MDS/Karl documentation built on May 22, 2019, 1:53 p.m.