Optimize VSCode for R Programming

Introduction

Optimizing your VSCode environment significantly enhances your R programming workflow. In this article, you’ll learn about essential settings and customizations such as shortcuts, code linting, formatting, and terminal integration to boost productivity and maintain clean, consistent R code.

Key Shortcuts for Efficient R Programming in VSCode

Master these keyboard shortcuts to streamline your R coding experience:

• Insert Code Chunk (Quarto): Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux), Cmd + Shift + I (Mac).
• Execute R Code: Ctrl + Enter (Windows/Linux), Cmd + Enter (Mac).
• Go to Definition: F12 or Ctrl + Click.
• Find and Replace: Search (Ctrl + F), Replace (Ctrl + H).

Personalizing Your R Workspace in VSCode

Customizing VSCode to match your preferred development style makes your coding process smoother. Here are recommended configurations:

R Code Linting in VSCode

Code linting helps identify syntax and stylistic errors in your R scripts, improving readability and compliance with coding standards. VSCode integrates seamlessly with the lintr package, aligning your code with the tidyverse style guide.

Code linting

Activate linting by installing lintr and enabling diagnostics in settings.json:

{
  "r.lsp.diagnostics": true
}

Customize linting rules by editing the .lintr file (~/.lintr or ${workspaceFolder}/.lintr). Recommended configuration:

linters: linters_with_defaults(
  line_length_linter(120), 
  object_usage_linter = NULL,
  commented_code_linter = NULL
)

This setup reduces unnecessary warnings and enhances your coding experience.

Automatic R Code Formatting with Styler

Use styler for consistent, readable R code. To enable automatic formatting in VSCode, install the package:

install.packages("styler")

Then update your VSCode settings.json:

{
  "[r]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "REditorSupport.r",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  },
  "[rmd]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "REditorSupport.r",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  }
}

Code formatting

Caution

For large scripts, automatic formatting on save might slow down your workflow. If this occurs, disable automatic formatting and manually format using Format Document (Shift + Alt + F).

Improving Code Selection for Variables with Dots

To facilitate selecting entire R variable names (for example names.like.this), remove dots from the word separator settings by adding this snippet in settings.json:

"[r]": {
    "editor.wordSeparators": "`~!@#%$^&*()-=+[{]}\\|;:'\",<>/?"
}

Enhanced Integration with R Terminal

For seamless integration between VSCode and the R terminal, set these configurations:

{
  "r.alwaysUseActiveTerminal": true,
  "r.bracketedPaste": true,
  "r.sessionWatcher": true
}

• r.alwaysUseActiveTerminal: Send R code directly to your currently active terminal.
• r.bracketedPaste: Improves reliability when pasting larger R code chunks.
• r.sessionWatcher: Automatically integrates VSCode with your active R session, enabling real-time session management.

Session Watcher Status

Configuring .Rprofile for Optimal VSCode Integration

Customize your .Rprofile to fully integrate VSCode with R’s interactive environment:

if (interactive() && Sys.getenv("RSTUDIO") == "") {
  Sys.setenv(TERM_PROGRAM = "vscode")
  source(file.path(Sys.getenv(
    if (.Platform$OS.type == "windows") "USERPROFILE" else "HOME"
  ), ".vscode-R", "init.R"))
}

if (interactive() && Sys.getenv("TERM_PROGRAM") == "vscode") {
  if ("httpgd" %in% .packages(all.available = TRUE)) {
    options(vsc.plot = FALSE)
    options(device = function(...) {
      httpgd::hgd(silent = TRUE)
      .vsc.browser(httpgd::hgd_url(history = FALSE), viewer = "Beside")
    })
  }
}

options(vsc.rstudioapi = TRUE)

• Integrates session watcher for real-time R session management.
• Enhances plotting experience using httpgd.
• Supports RStudio addins directly in VSCode.

Tip

For more details, see our guide on Interactive R Programming in VSCode.

Conclusion

Implementing these recommended VSCode configurations greatly enhances your R programming workflow, providing productivity boosts, consistent code styling, and smoother integration with your R terminal. Tailor your workspace using these settings to maximize your efficiency and coding experience.

References & Further Reading

• VSCode Official Documentation
• lintr for R
• styler for R
• vscode-R Extension Wiki

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