Introducing the vfunc R package

TL;DR

The vfunc R package introduces arithmetic operations for functions, enabling more natural and readable code, and reduces coding errors in R by providing function object arithmetic capabilities.

Contribution

It provides the first implementation of arithmetic methods for function objects in R, enhancing code clarity and robustness.

Findings

Enables addition of functions using 'f + g' syntax in R.

Reduces common coding bugs related to function operations.

Improves code readability and compactness in R programming.

Abstract

$f,g\colon\mathbb{R}\longrightarrow\mathbb{R}$, it is natural to define $f+g$ as the function that maps $x\in\mathbb{R}$ to $f(x) + g(x)$. However, in base R, objects of class function do not have arithmetic methods defined, so idiom such as "f + g" returns an error, even though it has a perfectly reasonable expectation. The vfunc package offers this functionality. Other similar features are provided, which lead to compact and readable idiom. A wide class of coding bugs is eliminated.