Sharing a swirl Course

Sharing Your Course as a File

We’ve developed the .swc file type so that you can share your course as a single file. Creating an .swc file for your course is easy:

1. Set any lesson in the course you want to share as the current lesson using set_lesson().
2. Create an .swc file using the pack_course() function. Your .swc file will appear in the same directory as the directory that contains the course folder. You also have the option to export the .swc file to another directory by specifying the export_path argument.

You can now share your .swc file like you would any other file (through email, file sharing services, etc). Students can install your course from the .swc file by downloading the file and then using the install_course() function in swirl, which will prompt them to interactively select the file they downloaded.

Sharing Your Course on GitHub

We highly encourage you to develop your course on GitHub so that we can better support you if you have questions or need assistance while developing your course. Developing your course on GitHub provides the added benefit that your course will be instantly ready to distribute. Students can install your course from swirl using the install_course_github() function. Make sure that your course directory is the root folder of your git repository. For examples of courses that have been shared on GitHub you can browse some of the courses on the Swirl Course Network.

Sharing Your Course on The Swirl Course Network

The goal of the Swirl Course Network is to list and organize all publicly available swirl courses. Visit the homepage of the SCN for more information. In order to add your course to the SCN:

1. Create an .swc file for your course.
2. Fork https://github.com/swirldev/scn on GitHub.
3. Add the .swc file to your fork.
4. Add an Rmd file to your fork like this one. You can include a description of your course, authors, a course website, and how to install your course.
5. Run rmarkdown::render_site() when your current directory is set to your fork.
6. Add, commit, and push your changes to GitHub, then send us a Pull Request.

After adding your course to the SCN students will be able to install your course using install_course("[Name of Your Course]") in swirl.

Help

If you have any questions about sharing your course please do not hesitate to get in touch with us: info@swirlstats.com