[R] is it possible to install R packages without admin rights on a work station

[Rolf Turner]

On 09/16/13 19:01, Charles Thuo wrote:
>   How can a person in a controlled environment install additional R
> packages...

Use a "local library" in your user space.  Create a directory --- I 
called mine "Rlib",
and it is located in my home directory.  I.e. my local library is 
/home/rolf/Rlib.

Then when using install.packages() from within R I invoke the function with
the syntax

install.packages("<whatever>",lib="/home/rolf/Rlib",<other possible 
arguments>)

Installing from source, from the command line I do:

     R CMD INSTALL <whatever>.tar.gz -l /home/rolf/Rlib

To load a package from one's local library one can do things like:

     library(<whatever>,lib.loc="/home/rolf/Rlib")

Note that the argument specifying the local library is named "lib" in 
install.packages()
but is named "lib.loc" in library().  I can never remember which is 
which.  Psigh!

Or you can add your local library to your .libPaths(), as in:

     .libPaths("/home/rolf/Rlib")

You can put a line like this in your .Rprofile file so that it gets done 
automatically
when you start R.  Or you can set an environment variable R_LIBS:

     setenv R_LIBS /home/rolf/Rlib

(if using csh) or

     R_LIBS = /home/rolf/Rlib
     export R_LIBS

(if using bash).


HTH

     cheers,

     Rolf Turner