R Programming By Example

Using a modern approach with C++

Now, we will show you how to use a more modern approach using C++. The aim of this section is to provide just enough information for you to start experimenting using C++ within R on your own. We will only look at a tiny piece of what can be done by interfacing R with C++ through the Rcpp package (which is installed by default in R), but it should be enough to get you started.

If you have never heard of C++, it's a language used mostly when resource restrictions play an important role and performance optimization is of paramount importance. Some good resources to learn more about C++ are Meyer's books on the topic, a popular one being Effective C++ (Addison-Wesley, 2005), and specifically for the Rcpp package, ...