Most of the time when I want to install an R package, I use the following code in R:
install.packages("dplyr")
And this usually works.
However, sometimes the installation is not so straightforward. For example, this R package (https://github.com/Datactuariat/Rpostal) requires multiple confusing steps before being able to be installed - creating confusion and many possible places to make mistakes during the installation.
As per my naïve understanding of computers, each function that you use in R has source code. For example, the source code of many R functions is available here : https://rdrr.io/
In the case of this R library that has been giving me problems, why did the creators not make it so that the "install.packages()" command could have been used to directly install this package? I tried looking on this github page to find the source code for all the functions that are used in this package, but I could not find them. Why can't I just copy the source code/definitions for all the functions in this library, paste them into R Studio and thereby effectively recreate this library in my local R session and avoid the headache of going through this convoluted installation process?
Can someone please comment on this?
Thanks!