Building Binary Packages with R devtools from a Remote BitBucket Repository

As the popularity of package repositories like CRAN and GitHub continues to grow, it’s becoming increasingly important for developers to be able to manage and deploy their projects efficiently. One way to do this is by leveraging version control systems like Git, which allow us to track changes to our codebase over time.

In this article, we’ll explore how to use the devtools package in R to build binary packages from a remote BitBucket repository using Jenkins scripts.

Introduction to devtools

The devtools package is a collection of tools for building and managing R packages. It provides an easy way to create, test, and deploy packages, making it easier for developers to collaborate on projects and share their work with others.

One of the key features of devtools is its ability to build binary packages from source code. This involves compiling C/C++ code into a shared library that can be executed by R, as well as creating a .R file that contains the package’s documentation and other metadata.

Using devtools::build

The devtools::build() function takes several arguments, including:

• binary: A logical value indicating whether to build a binary package (TRUE) or source code (FALSE).
• args: A list of arguments to be passed to the compiler.
• distdir: The directory where the built package will be installed.

In this article, we’ll focus on building binary packages from the devtools package using the build() function with the binary = TRUE argument.

Setting up a Jenkins Script

To automate the process of building and deploying our R package, we can use a Jenkins script. Jenkins is an open-source continuous integration server that allows us to automate the build, test, and deployment process for our projects.

Here’s an example Jenkins script that builds a binary package from a remote BitBucket repository using the devtools package:

{
< highlight r >
library(devtools)
library(jenkinsapi)

# Define the BitBucket repository URL
bitbucket_url <- "https://api.bitbucket.org/2.0/repositories/<username>/<repository>/"

# Define the Jenkins credentials
jenkins_username <- "<your_jenkins_username>"
jenkins_password <- "<your_jenkins_password>"

# Build the binary package using devtools::build()
devtools::build(binary = TRUE, args = c('--preclean'), distdir = "dist")

Note that you’ll need to replace <username> and <repository> with your actual BitBucket repository URL, as well as <your_jenkins_username> and <your_jenkins_password> with your Jenkins credentials.

Using the Jenkins API

To automate the process of building and deploying our R package using Jenkins, we can use the Jenkins API. The Jenkins API allows us to interact with a Jenkins server programmatically, allowing us to build and deploy our packages from within our R script.

Here’s an example of how you might use the Jenkins API in your script:

{
< highlight r >
library(jenkinsapi)

# Define the Jenkins URL
jenkins_url <- "http://localhost:8080"

# Authenticate with the Jenkins server using a username and password
user <- jenkins_user()
user$username <- "<your_jenkins_username>"
user$password <- "<your_jenkins_password>"

# Get a handle to the Jenkins API
api <- get_authorized_api(jenkins_url, user)

# Define the build parameters
build_number <- 123
job_name <- "My R Package Build"
parameters <- list("binary" = TRUE, "args" = c('--preclean'))

# Build the package using devtools::build()
devtools::build(binary = TRUE, args = c('--preclean'), distdir = "dist")

# Create a new build in Jenkins
new_build <- api.build_job(job_name, build_number, parameters)

Note that you’ll need to replace <your_jenkins_username> and <your_jenkins_password> with your actual Jenkins credentials, as well as http://localhost:8080 with the URL of your Jenkins server.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored how to use the devtools package in R to build binary packages from a remote BitBucket repository using Jenkins scripts. We covered topics such as building binary packages from source code, setting up a Jenkins script, and using the Jenkins API to automate the build process.

By leveraging version control systems like Git and continuous integration servers like Jenkins, developers can manage and deploy their projects more efficiently than ever before. Whether you’re working on a simple package or a complex enterprise-level application, this approach can help ensure that your project is always up-to-date and well-maintained.

Last modified on 2024-11-06