Should nested projects be avoided and if so why?

[ablack3]

This is a workflow question. It seems like nesting RStudio projects inside other projects is a bad idea but I can't articulate why. Perhaps there are also valid use cases for nested projects. Does anyone else have an opinion on putting projects inside other projects?

[technocrat]

I only see two downsides to creating an .Rproj in a subdirectory of another .Rproj

1. For version control complications; at least having to adjust .gitignore on top and having project specific git settings on the bottom

2. I'm not sure how any of these (that one might care about) are affected in the bottom when the top is opened

• A new R session (process) is started
• The .Rprofile file in the project's main directory (if any) is sourced by R
• The .RData file in the project's main directory is loaded (if project options indicate that it should be loaded).
• The .Rhistory file in the project's main directory is loaded into the RStudio History pane (and used for Console Up/Down arrow command history).
• The current working directory is set to the project directory.
• Previously edited source documents are restored into editor tabs
• Other RStudio settings (e.g. active tabs, splitter positions, etc.) are restored to where they were the last time the project was closed.

And, of course, only one at a time, so ultimately, it is just for directory tree convenience when using sub-topical organization.