Assignment 1

In this first assignment, I’m asking you to do five things:

1. Make sure you’ve got your computer set up for class with all required software loaded and working.
2. Set up your GitHub user profile / README
3. Practice working with RStudio.
4. Practice working with Markdown syntax.
5. Practice with git by uploading your work through GitHub.

Software installation

If you weren’t able to get everything set up and working prior to or during our first class meeting, please take time to finish installing all the software required for the course. Please set up a time to meet with me ASAP if you are having issues.

Complete your GitHub profile

If you haven’t already, please do the following things for your GitHub profile:

1. Add a picture (I don’t care whether you use a photo of yourself or something else more private, but please use something other than the default icon).
2. Create a profile README using these instructions. It doesn’t have to be fancy and can include minimal information that you are comfortable publicly sharing, but at the very least please have something. You can use the default prompts or create your own.

Practice creating an R (*.R) script

1. Open RStudio
2. Initialize a New File > R Script in RStudio. Save it as <lastname>_assignment_1.R in the assignments folder in your personal repo, replacing <lastname> with your last name. For example, I would call my assignment skinner_assignment_1.R and it would be located in the following location:

   student_skinner/
   |
   |__assignments/
       |
       |__skinner_assignment_1.R
      
   

   NOTE that you can complete these steps using either the drop down menus or the icons.

   Also, don’t forget to add .R to the end of your file. You will know you’ve done it correctly if the tab with your file name changes to include an icon that looks like a sheet of paper with an “R” superimposed on it.

3. Copy the following code snippet into your file and save the file:

   ## install rmarkdown package
   install.packages("rmarkdown")
   

4. Run the code to install the RMarkdown package either by
   1. Highlighting the code and pushing the Run button
   2. Putting your cursor on the line of code and using the key combo of Command-Enter (Mac) or Control-Enter (Windows) to run

Practice creating a Markdown (*.md) file

NB: Use The Markdown Guide at www.markdownguide.org to help you with this portion of the assignment.

1. Open RStudio
2. Initialize a New File > Text File in RStudio. Save it as <lastname>_assignment_1.md in the assignments folder in your personal repo, replacing <lastname> with your last name (note the different file ending this time). For example, I would call my assignment skinner_assignment_1.md and it would be located in the following location:

   student_skinner/
   |
   |__assignments/
       |
       |__skinner_assignment_1.md
      
   

   Don’t forget to add .md to the end of your file. You will know you’ve done it correctly if the tab with your file name changes to include an icon that looks like a sheet of paper with an “MD” superimposed on it.

3. Within your file, please include the following:
   1. A top-level (h1) header with the assignment name: “Assignment 1”

   2. The following sentence, but add markdown syntax so that one word is bolded, one is italicized, and one is bold italicized:

        In God we trust. All others must bring data.
      

   3. An unordered list of 3-5 book titles (italicized) with author
   4. A block quote of one of your favorite short quotes (don’t forget to include attribution)
   5. A code block with the code x <- 1 inside
4. Check that your file builds correctly using RStudio’s Preview button. You’ll see that a *.pdf or an *.html version of the file will be saved in same place as your *.md file. Whether it is a PDF or HTML file will depend on whether you selected to Preview HTML or Preview PDF if you clicked the down arrow instead of the button directly (the default if you click the button should be *.html). You should stage, commit, and push these files in addition to the working *.md file.
5. As you’re working, take the following steps to add/stage, commit, and push your work to your repo using the Git tab in the upper right frame:
   1. Add/Stage your changes to your file by clicking the button next to the file.
   2. Commit your changes with a short but informative message.
   3. Push your commit to GitHub.
   4. Log into the GitHub website, navigate to your repo, and confirm that you can see your changes.

Remember, you can do these steps as many times as you want. I would encourage you to commit smaller changes and push to your remote GitHub repo often rather than wait until the last minute.

Submission details

• All aspects of the assignment need to be completed by the start of the next class. That means everything pushed to your remote GitHub repo before class starts. Your profile should be updated by the start of class as well.
• You may work together and borrow code, but everyone must submit their own files. Also, if you directly borrow code, please attribute that help in some way in your files (e.g., a commented line in the .R script).