Methods belong to the object . You call them using the $ operator (e.g., my_object$do_something() ). The Core Systems 1. S3: The Pragmatic Standard
The first step in strategic selection is understanding the fundamental divide in R’s approach to objects:
Requires an external dependency; can lead to "non-idiomatic" R code if overused. 4. Reference Classes (RC): The Internal Alternative Advanced Object-Oriented Programming in R: Stat...
Reference Classes are built into base R and function similarly to R6 but are built on top of S4.
No formal validation; it relies on naming conventions (e.g., generic.class ). 2. S4: The Rigorous Contract Methods belong to the object
90% of R tasks, especially providing print() , summary() , or plot() methods for new data types. Pros: Minimal boilerplate; easy to learn; highly flexible.
Encapsulation (private vs. public fields); reference semantics (modify objects in-place); method chaining. S3: The Pragmatic Standard The first step in
Advanced Object-Oriented Programming in R: Strategic Selection