Foreign library interface

Abstract

We present an improved Foreign Function Interface (FFI) for R to call arbitary native functions without the need for C wrapper code. Further we discuss a dynamic linkage framework for binding standard C libraries to R across platforms using a universal type information format. The package rdyncall comprises the framework and an initial repository of crossplatform bindings for standard libraries such as (legacy and modern) OpenGL, the family of SDL libraries and Expat. The package enables systemlevel programming using the R language; sample applications are given in the article. We outline the underlying automation tool-chain that extracts cross-platform bindings from C headers, making the repository extendable and open for library developers.