Indentation in R is the process of adding spaces to the beginning of lines of code to indicate their hierarchical structure. This makes code easier to read and understand, as it helps to visually group related lines of code together.
There are two common ways to indent code in R:
- Using spaces: This is the most common way to indent code in R. To indent a line of code by one level, you would add two spaces to the beginning of the line. To indent by two levels, you would add four spaces, and so on.
- Using tabs: Tabs can also be used to indent code in R. However, it is generally recommended to avoid using tabs, as they can cause problems with code portability.
The most common indentation style for R is to use two spaces per level. This is the style that is recommended by the Google R Style Guide and the Tidyverse Style Guide.
Example of how indentation can be used to make code easier to read
# This is a function definition
function my_function(x) {
# This is the first line of code in the function
y <- x + 1
# This is the second line of code in the function
z <- y * 2
# This is the third line of code in the function
return(z)
}
Without indentation, this code would be very difficult to read. However, with indentation, the code is much easier to follow. The first line of code is indented by two spaces, which indicates that it is part of the function definition. The second and third lines of code are indented by four spaces, which indicates that they are part of the function body.
