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Tutorial: Embedding R in Applications on Windows |
The add-on package R(D)COM and the library rcom make R accessible in the MS Windows client server COM and DCOM architecture. This technology allows to embed R into windows applications or use MS Windows applications as extensions to R. It can be used either in a way making R visible to the users or completely hiding it, using it as a statistical method library for other applications. It has been used to create software environments for learning statistics, and, as a side effect, learning R by embedding it in standard software like MS Excel. It also has been used to make advanced statistical methods implemented as R libraries accessible in research software in areas as diverse as biostatistics and in cartography.
The tutorial will present the underlying technology, some examples, and will help participants to acquire the skills needed to develop this kind of integrated applications. Finally, we will also discuss the compatibility of this interface with some other extensions of R not implemented strictly as R libraries.