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Basic Path Configuration

Source: vignettes/basic_paths.Rmd
basic_paths.Rmd

Understanding Path Configuration

This guide walks through how to set up basic path configurations in your _envsetup.yml file.

Configuration Structure Levels

Level 1: Execution Environment

Scripts typically execute in different environments depending on your workflow:

default:

dev:

qa:

prod:

Level 2: Paths and Autos

Each execution environment can have different configurations:

default:
  paths:
  autos:

dev:
  paths:
  autos:

qa:
  paths:
  autos:

prod:
  paths:
  autos:

Level 3: Specific Configuration

Configure the actual environment settings:

default:
  paths:
    data: "/demo/DEV/username/project1/data"
    output: "/demo/DEV/username/project1/output"
    programs: "/demo/DEV/username/project1/programs"

Working Example

Let’s create a practical example for a project called project1 that needs data input, result output, and program storage locations.

library(envsetup)

# Create temporary directory for demonstration
dir <- fs::file_temp()
dir.create(dir)
config_path <- file.path(dir, "_envsetup.yml")

# Write a basic config file
file_conn <- file(config_path)
writeLines(
"default:
  paths:
    data: '/demo/DEV/username/project1/data'
    output: '/demo/DEV/username/project1/output'
    programs: '/demo/DEV/username/project1/programs'", file_conn)
close(file_conn)

Loading and Using the Configuration 

# Load the configuration
envsetup_config <- config::get(file = config_path)

# Apply the configuration to your R session
rprofile(envsetup_config)
#> Assigned paths to __callr_data__Assigned paths to R_GlobalEnv

Accessing Your Configured Paths

Once configured, your paths are available in the envsetup_environment environment within the envsetup package environment:

# See all available path objects
ls(envsetup_environment)
#> character(0)

# Access individual paths
get_path(data)
#> [1] "/demo/DEV/username/project1/data"
get_path(output)
#> [1] "/demo/DEV/username/project1/output"
get_path(programs)
#> [1] "/demo/DEV/username/project1/programs"

How It Works

The rprofile() function:

1. Creates a special environment called envsetup_environment

2. Populates it with your configured path objects

3. Makes these objects accessible in your code via the get_path(), read_path(), and write_path()

Benefits

With this setup:

  • Consistency: All team members use the same path structure

  • Flexibility: Easy to change paths without modifying code

  • Clarity: Path purposes are clearly defined

  • Maintainability: Centralized configuration management

Next Steps

Now that you understand basic path configuration, the next guide will show you how to manage multiple environments (dev, qa, prod) with different configurations.