useR! 2024

This talk presents 'rcpptimer' [1]. 'rcpptimer' is a novel R package that provides Rcpp bindings for 'cpptimer' [2], a simple tic-toc timer class for benchmarking C++ code. This sleek tic-toc timer supports overlapping timers and OpenMP parallelism. It boasts a microsecond-level time resolution. We did not find any overhead of the timer itself at this resolution. Results (with summary statistics) are automatically passed back to R as a data frame.

I will demonstrate the versatile application of 'rcpptimer' in diverse Rcpp projects. Furthermore, we'll delve into the intricacies of its implementation, shedding light on its evolution from 'rcppclock' [3]. I will highlight key features such as OpenMP parallelism and automatically returning results to R. Additionally, I will discuss the rationale behind the decision to separate the core components of 'rcpptimer' into the standalone project 'cpptimer'.

This talk addresses 'Rcpp' beginners. Basic knowledge of C++ classes is needed to follow every implementation aspect.

[1] https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/rcpptimer/index.html
[2] https://github.com/BerriJ/cpptimer
[3] https://github.com/zdebruine/RcppClock