RStudio has four main panes each in a quadrant of your screen: Source Editor, Console, Workspace Browser (and History), and Plots (and Files, Packages, Help). Generally, we will want to write programs longer than a few lines.
1. The source pane allows users to view and edit various code-related files, such as .R, .rmd, .qmd, .py, .css, or general text files such as .txt or .md. By default it is the top-left panel and can be launched by opening any editable file in RStudio.
2. By default the console pane is the bottom left pane. The console pane provides an area to interactively execute code.
3. By default, the Environment pane is located in the top-right and includes the Environment, History, Connections, Build, and Version Control System (VCS) tabs. The environment tab displays currently saved R and Python objects.
When you have data in your environment that have two dimensions (rows and columns) you may click on them and they will appear in the Source Editor pane like a spreadsheet. It is at the top right of your screen.
4. The last pane has a number of different tabs.
4.1. The Files tab has a navigable file manager, just like the file system on your operating system.
4.2. The Packages tab shows you the packages that are installed and those that can be installed.
4.3. The Plot tab is where graphics you create will appear.
4.4. The Help tab allows you to search the R documentation for help and is where the help appears when you ask for it from the Console. It is at the bottom right of your screen.
5. Click View and select Panes to adjust the layout of these planes.
There might be subtle differences between RStudio installations on different operating systems.
