Setting Global Environment Variables

[sebastiandig]

@7yl4r

I found the method to create environment variables using .Renviron and call it to set the variables. From what I understand, .Renvrion is used as API key protection, but this file should be ignored in the .gitignore file.

You would set up the .Renvrion by usethis::edit_r_environ("project") for the project level (or using "user" for computer level), then edit:

<UNQUOTED_KEY_VALUE> = "<quoted key>" 
# Note: this won't work if you use `<-`,
# use `=`, the only time to do this for setting a variable

After restarting R, you will have access to the environment, but to actually set it to a variable:

global_var <- Sys.getenv("<quoted <UNQUOTED_KEY_VALUE>>") # the key needs to be quoted

Calling the "key value" can be done in the .Rprofile file too because this file is executed after the .Renviron. Edit .Rprofile using usethis::edit_r_profile("project").

Here is an example I have in my personal repo: .Renviron for Global Variables

Here is some more info about the order of operations when starting R:

• R Startup
• renviron

[sebastiandig]

My thought would be to have a function that will edit the .Renviron function when creating a new cruise ID to include the cruise ID, like <CRUISE_ID> = "<cruise id>". Then, calling the last cruise in a list from the .Rprofile where there is a vector of cruise IDs and the user would select one from the list and would be set

# vector of cruise IDs
cruise_id_select <- c("<cruise ID1>", "<cruise ID2>", "<cruise ID etc>")

# ask which cruise to set
cruise_id_select <- menu(cruise_id_select) 

# or have it use the last in the list?
cruise_id_select <- cruise_id_select[length(cruise_id_select)] 

# set cruise_id using the key value from `cruise_id_select`
cruise_id <- Sys.getenv(cruise_id_select)