Metaprogramming in R: Advanced Statistical Programming for Data Science, Analysis and Finance

Learn how to manipulate functions and expressions to modify how the R language interprets itself. This book is an introduction to metaprogramming in the R language, so you will write programs to manipulate other programs. Metaprogramming in R shows you how to treat code as data that you can generate, analyze, or modify.

R is a very high-level language where all operations are functions and all functions are data that can be manipulated. This book shows you how to leverage R’s natural flexibility in how function calls and expressions are evaluated, to create small domain-specific languages to extend R within the R language itself.

What You’ll Learn

• Find out about the anatomy of a function in R
• Look inside a function call
• Work with R expressions and environments
• Manipulate expressions in R
• Use substitutions

Who This Book Is For

Those with at least some experience with R and certainly for those with experience in other programming languages.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Anatomy of a Function
Chapter 2: Inside a Function Call
Chapter 3: Expressions and Environments
Chapter 4: Manipulating Expressions
Chapter 5: Working with Substitutions