framework docs
Workflow

scaffold()

Initialize and load the project environment

The primary entry point for working with Framework projects. Call this at the start of every notebook or script to set up your environment with all configured packages, functions, and settings.

Usage

scaffold(config_file = NULL)

Arguments

config_file
Path to configuration file. If NULL (default), automatically discovers settings.yml or config.yml in the project.

Value

Invisibly returns NULL. The main effects are side effects: loading packages, sourcing functions, and creating the `config` object.

Details

scaffold() performs the following steps in order:

  1. Standardizes working directory - Finds and sets the project root, even when called from notebooks in subdirectories
  2. Loads environment variables - Reads secrets from .env file
  3. Loads configuration - Parses settings.yml for project settings
  4. Sets random seed - For reproducibility (if seed is configured)
  5. Installs packages - Any missing packages from the packages list
  6. Loads packages - Attaches all configured packages
  7. Sources functions - Loads all .R files from functions/ directory

After scaffold() completes, you have access to:

  • All packages listed in settings.yml
  • All functions from your functions/ directory
  • Settings via settings("key") helper function
  • Database connections configured in your project

Examples

if (FALSE) {
# At the top of every notebook or script:
library(framework)
scaffold()
# Now you can use your configured packages and functions
# Access settings via the settings() helper:
settings("directories.notebooks")
settings("seed")
}

See also