continuous-integration.Rmd

# Continuous integration {#sec-ci}

```{r, echo = FALSE}
source("common.R")
status("drafting")
```

## Introduction

## Checking after every commit with GitHub actions {#sec-gha}

If you're using GitHub, as we recommend, you should also use GitHub Actions.
GitHub Actions allow you to run code every time you push to GitHub.

To use GitHub Actions:

1.  Run `usethis::use_github_action_check_standard()` to set up a GitHub Action that runs `R CMD check` on Linux, Mac, and Windows.
    Literally, this adds a new file to your package, below `.github/workflows/.`

2.  Commit this new file and push to GitHub.

3.  Wait a few minutes to see the results in your email.

With this setup in place, `R CMD check` will be run every time you push to GitHub or whenever someone submits a pull request.
You'll find out about failures right away, which makes them easier to fix.
Using automated checks also encourages me to check more often locally, because I know if it fails I'll find out about it a few minutes later, often once I've moved on to a new problem.

### Other uses

Since GitHub Actions allows you to run arbitrary code, there are many other things that you can use it for:

-   Re-publishing a book website every time you make a change to the source.
    (Like this book!)

-   Building vignettes and publishing them to a website.

-   Automatically building a documentation website for your package.

Learn more about using GitHub Actions with R at <https://github.com/r-lib/actions/tree/master/examples>.