r-docs-guide

R Docs Guide

Query R package documentation directly via WebFetch across multiple sources.

When to Use

When the user asks about R packages, functions, or needs help with R programming tasks.

Execution Steps (IMPORTANT!)

You MUST WebFetch official documentation - never answer from memory!

Step 1: Identify the package or topic

The user's query: $ARGUMENTS

Step 2: Determine the best documentation source

Source	URL Pattern	Best For
CRAN Reference	https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/index.html	Package overview, links
CRAN Manual (PDF)	https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/{pkg}.pdf	Full function reference
Vignettes	https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/vignettes/	Tutorials, guides
RDocumentation	https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{pkg}	Searchable docs
tidyverse pkgdown	https://{pkg}.tidyverse.org/	tidyverse packages
Shiny	https://shiny.posit.co/r/reference/	Shiny framework
Bioconductor	https://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/{pkg}.html	Bioinformatics
R Documentation	https://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual/R-devel/library/{pkg}/html/00Index.html	Base R packages
CRAN Task Views	https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/{topic}.html	Find packages by domain
rdrr.io	https://rdrr.io/cran/{pkg}/	Quick function lookup

Step 3: WebFetch the documentation

For a specific package, fetch in parallel:

1. CRAN page: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/index.html
2. RDocumentation: https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{pkg}
3. If tidyverse: https://{pkg}.tidyverse.org/reference/index.html

For a topic/task (e.g., "how to do time series in R"):

1. CRAN Task View: https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/{relevant-view}.html
2. RDocumentation search: https://www.rdocumentation.org/search?q={query}

For a specific function:

1. https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{pkg}/topics/{function}
2. Or https://rdrr.io/cran/{pkg}/man/{function}.html

Step 4: Present findings

## {Package Name}

**Version:** x.y.z | **CRAN:** [link] | **Docs:** [link]

### Description
[What the package does]

### Key Functions
| Function | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `func()` | ... |

### Installation
```r
install.packages("{pkg}")

Quick Example

library({pkg})
# example code

Related Packages

• [alternatives or companions]

## Common CRAN Task Views

| Domain | Task View URL |
|--------|--------------|
| Time Series | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/TimeSeries.html` |
| Machine Learning | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/MachineLearning.html` |
| Bayesian | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Bayesian.html` |
| Spatial | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Spatial.html` |
| Finance | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Finance.html` |
| Clinical Trials | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ClinicalTrials.html` |
| Psychometrics | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Psychometrics.html` |
| Survival | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Survival.html` |
| Web Technologies | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/WebTechnologies.html` |
| Reproducible Research | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ReproducibleResearch.html` |

## Important Reminders

- **Always WebFetch** - never answer R package questions from memory
- **Check version** - R packages update frequently, always get current docs
- **Vignettes first** - vignettes are often more useful than function reference
- If a package is not on CRAN, check Bioconductor or GitHub