Package {submitr}

Title:	Scaffold and Submit Computational Jobs to HTC Schedulers
Version:	0.1.0
Description:	Provides scaffolding tools to help researchers prepare and submit computational jobs to high-throughput computing (HTC) schedulers. Generates the files required to run containerized R analyses on 'HTCondor', including submit files and executable scripts, and wraps the system commands needed to stage files, submit jobs, monitor status, and retrieve results from a CHTC submit node. Provides 'htc_config()' for managing connection details and SSH connection reuse guidance. Works naturally alongside 'containr' for container image management and 'toolero' for dataset splitting and project scaffolding.
License:	MIT + file LICENSE
Encoding:	UTF-8
Language:	en-US
SystemRequirements:	SSH client, HTCondor (https://htcondor.org)
Suggests:	containr, knitr, rmarkdown, spelling, testthat (≥ 3.0.0), toolero, withr
Config/testthat/edition:	3
Config/roxygen2/version:	8.0.0
Imports:	cli, glue, readr, yaml
VignetteBuilder:	knitr
URL:	https://erwinlares.github.io/submitr/
BugReports:	https://github.com/erwinlares/submitr/issues
NeedsCompilation:	no
Packaged:	2026-05-13 19:19:57 UTC; lares
Author:	Erwin Lares [aut, cre]
Maintainer:	Erwin Lares <erwin.lares@wisc.edu>
Repository:	CRAN
Date/Publication:	2026-05-19 07:40:02 UTC

submitr: Scaffold and Submit Computational Jobs to HTC Schedulers

Description

Provides scaffolding tools to help researchers prepare and submit computational jobs to high-throughput computing (HTC) schedulers. Generates the files required to run containerized R analyses on 'HTCondor', including submit files and executable scripts, and wraps the system commands needed to stage files, submit jobs, monitor status, and retrieve results from a CHTC submit node. Provides 'htc_config()' for managing connection details and SSH connection reuse guidance. Works naturally alongside 'containr' for container image management and 'toolero' for dataset splitting and project scaffolding.

Author(s)

Maintainer: Erwin Lares erwin.lares@wisc.edu (ORCID)

Authors:

• Erwin Lares erwin.lares@wisc.edu (ORCID)

See Also

Useful links:

• https://erwinlares.github.io/submitr/

• Report bugs at https://github.com/erwinlares/submitr/issues

Configure a connection to an HTC submit server

Description

htc_config() creates or reads an htc.cfg file that stores the connection details needed by htc_stage(), htc_submit(), htc_status(), and htc_fetch_results(). On first use it prompts interactively for your username and server address, writes htc.cfg to path, and adds it to .gitignore. Subsequent calls read the existing file.

Usage

htc_config(username = NULL, server = NULL, path = ".", overwrite = FALSE)

Arguments

Value

A named list with elements username and server, returned invisibly.

SSH connection reuse

Each call to htc_stage(), htc_submit(), htc_status(), or htc_fetch_results() opens a new SSH connection to the submit server, which triggers a Duo MFA prompt each time. You can avoid this by configuring SSH connection reuse (ControlMaster) in your ⁠~/.ssh/config⁠ file. Add the following block:

Host *.chtc.wisc.edu
  ControlMaster auto
  ControlPersist 2h
  ControlPath ~/.ssh/connections/%r@%h:%p

Then create the connections directory:

mkdir -p ~/.ssh/connections

After this, only the first connection in a two-hour window will require Duo authentication. Full documentation: https://chtc.cs.wisc.edu/uw-research-computing/configure-ssh

Security

htc.cfg contains your username and server address. Neither is sensitive on its own, but htc_config() adds htc.cfg to .gitignore on creation to avoid accidentally committing institutional account details to a public repository.

Examples

# Preview what htc_config() would return without writing any files
cfg <- list(username = "netid", server = "ap2002.chtc.wisc.edu")
str(cfg)


## Not run: 
# Interactive first-time setup
cfg <- htc_config()

# Non-interactive setup (for scripts)
cfg <- htc_config(
  username = "erwin.lares",
  server   = "ap2002.chtc.wisc.edu"
)

# Force recreation of htc.cfg
cfg <- htc_config(overwrite = TRUE)

# Use in other functions
htc_upload(files = c("job.sub", "job.sh"), config = cfg)

## End(Not run)

Download files from an HTC submit node

Description

htc_download() copies one or more files from a directory on an HTC submit node to a local directory via scp. It is the final step in the job submission workflow – called after htc_status() confirms all jobs have completed.

Usage

htc_download(
  files,
  remote_path = "~/",
  local_path = ".",
  config = NULL,
  dry_run = FALSE,
  verbose = FALSE
)

Arguments

Details

Glob patterns such as "*.tar.gz" are supported and are evaluated on the remote server, not locally, so they match files that exist on the submit node regardless of what is present on your local machine.

Value

Called for its side effects. Returns invisible(NULL).

Workflow

htc_download() is the final system-facing step in the submitr workflow. Call it after htc_status() confirms all jobs have completed.

cfg <- htc_config()

htc_status(cluster_id = 6302877, config = cfg, watch = TRUE)

# Download all result tarballs
htc_download(
  files      = "*.tar.gz",
  config     = cfg,
  local_path = "results/"
)

Glob patterns

Glob patterns are passed to the remote shell for evaluation so they match files on the submit node, not on your local machine. The pattern is single-quoted in the scp command to prevent local shell expansion.

Common patterns:

• "*.tar.gz" – all result tarballs

• "*.log" – all log files

• "*.out" – all output files

• "*.err" – all error files

SSH connection reuse

Each call to htc_download() opens a new SSH connection. If you have not configured ControlMaster in your ⁠~/.ssh/config⁠, this will trigger a Duo MFA prompt. Run htc_config() for setup guidance.

Examples

# Preview the scp command without connecting to CHTC
cfg <- list(username = "netid", server = "ap2002.chtc.wisc.edu")
htc_download(files = "*.tar.gz", config = cfg, dry_run = TRUE)


## Not run: 
# All remaining examples require a live CHTC connection
cfg <- htc_config()

# Download a single file
htc_download(files = "r <- esults.tar.gz", config = cfg)

# Download multiple specific files
htc_download(
  files  = c("job.log", "job.err", "results.tar.gz"),
  config = cfg
)

# Download all result tarballs using a glob pattern
htc_download(
  files      = "*.tar.gz",
  config     = cfg,
  local_path = "results/"
)

# Download all log files from a specific remote directory
htc_download(
  files       = "*.log",
  remote_path = "~/projects/penguins/",
  local_path  = "logs/",
  config      = cfg
)

## End(Not run)

Generate an HTCondor executable shell script for an R job

Description

htc_gen_executable() writes a ready-to-use bash script (.sh) that HTCondor runs inside the container for each job. The script creates a results folder, runs the R script via Rscript, and compresses the results into a tarball for transfer back to the submit node.

Usage

htc_gen_executable(
  output_file = "job.sh",
  r_script = NULL,
  results_folder = "results-folder",
  mode = "single",
  set_executable = TRUE,
  verbose = FALSE,
  comments = FALSE,
  output = "."
)

Arguments

Value

Called for its side effects. Writes a bash script to file.path(output, output_file) and sets executable permissions when set_executable = TRUE. Returns invisible(NULL).

Relationship to htc_gen_submit()

The executable script generated by htc_gen_executable() is the file referenced by the executable argument in htc_gen_submit(). The two functions should always use the same mode. In "multiple" mode, HTCondor passes each subset filename to the script as ⁠${1}⁠, which is forwarded to the R script as a positional argument. The R script must be written to accept this argument – the recommended approach is toolero::detect_execution_context():

context <- toolero::detect_execution_context()

input_file <- switch(context,
  interactive = "data/penguins.csv",
  quarto      = params$input_file,
  rscript     = commandArgs(trailingOnly = TRUE)[1]
)

Examples

# Single-job executable script
htc_gen_executable(r_script = "analysis.R", output = tempdir())

# Multiple-job executable script
htc_gen_executable(
  r_script = "analysis.R",
  mode     = "multiple",
  output   = tempdir()
)

# Custom R script name with annotations
htc_gen_executable(
  output_file = "run.sh",
  r_script    = "run-analysis.R",
  comments    = TRUE,
  verbose     = TRUE,
  output      = tempdir()
)

Generate an HTCondor submit file for a containerized R job

Description

htc_gen_submit() writes a ready-to-use HTCondor submit file (.sub) for running a containerized R job on an HTC cluster such as CHTC. It supports both single-job and multiple-job submission modes.

Usage

htc_gen_submit(
  output_file = "job.sub",
  container_image = NULL,
  executable = NULL,
  input_files = NULL,
  output_files = NULL,
  mode = "single",
  queue = 1L,
  queue_from = NULL,
  resources = "small",
  custom_resources = NULL,
  gpu = FALSE,
  gpu_options = NULL,
  verbose = FALSE,
  comments = FALSE,
  output = "."
)

Arguments

Value

Called for its side effects. Writes an HTCondor submit file to file.path(output, output_file). In "multiple" mode also writes subdatasets.csv to output. Returns invisible(NULL).

Multiple-job mode and positional arguments

When mode = "multiple", HTCondor passes each subset filename to the executable as a positional argument via ⁠arguments = $(file)⁠. Your R script must be written to accept and use this argument. The recommended approach is to use toolero::detect_execution_context() in your analysis script, which resolves the input file path correctly across interactive, Quarto, and Rscript execution contexts:

context <- toolero::detect_execution_context()

input_file <- switch(context,
  interactive = "data/penguins.csv",
  quarto      = params$input_file,
  rscript     = commandArgs(trailingOnly = TRUE)[1]
)

data <- readr::read_csv(input_file)

The typical workflow is:

1. Write and develop your analysis in analysis.qmd using toolero::detect_execution_context() for data loading.

2. Split your dataset with toolero::write_by_group(manifest = TRUE) to produce subset CSV files and a manifest.csv.

3. Strip analysis.qmd to analysis.R with knitr::purl().

4. Call htc_gen_submit(mode = "multiple", queue_from = "manifest.csv") to produce the submit file and subdatasets.csv.

5. Copy analysis.R, the subset data files, analysis.sub, analysis.sh, and subdatasets.csv to CHTC and submit.

Resource presets

Resource presets are loaded at runtime from inst/extdata/htc-resources.yaml. To customize presets for a specific project, copy that file to your project directory as htc-resources.yaml and edit the values. htc_gen_submit() checks for a local htc-resources.yaml in the working directory first, falling back to the package default if none is found.

Examples

# Single-job submit file with default resource preset
htc_gen_submit(output = tempdir())

# Single-job submit file with medium resources and file transfer
htc_gen_submit(
  output_file     = "analysis.sub",
  container_image = "docker://registry.doit.wisc.edu/netid/myimage",
  executable      = "analysis.sh",
  input_files     = "analysis.R",
  output_files    = "results.tar.gz",
  resources       = "medium",
  output          = tempdir()
)

# Annotated submit file useful for learning HTCondor syntax
htc_gen_submit(
  output_file = "annotated.sub",
  comments    = TRUE,
  verbose     = TRUE,
  output      = tempdir()
)

# Custom resource request
htc_gen_submit(
  resources        = "custom",
  custom_resources = list(cpus = 2, memory = "8GB", disk = "4GB"),
  output           = tempdir()
)

## Not run: 
# Multiple-job submit file driven by a write_by_group() manifest
htc_gen_submit(
  output_file     = "analysis.sub",
  container_image = "docker://registry.doit.wisc.edu/netid/myimage",
  executable      = "analysis.sh",
  input_files     = "analysis.R",
  mode            = "multiple",
  queue_from      = "data/manifest.csv",
  resources       = "medium",
  output          = "."
)

## End(Not run)

Check the status of submitted HTCondor jobs

Description

htc_status() connects to an HTC submit node via SSH and runs condor_q to report the status of jobs in the queue. By default it shows all of your jobs. Optionally filter by cluster ID to monitor a specific submission.

Usage

htc_status(
  cluster_id = NULL,
  config = NULL,
  watch = FALSE,
  interval = 60L,
  dry_run = FALSE,
  verbose = FALSE
)

Arguments

Details

When watch = TRUE, htc_status() polls the queue repeatedly at a fixed interval until all jobs in the cluster have completed, printing a timestamped snapshot after each poll.

Value

Called for its side effects. Prints the condor_q output to the console. Returns the most recent output invisibly as a character vector.

Job status codes

HTCondor reports each job's status with a single letter:

Jobs disappear from condor_q once they complete and their output has been transferred back to the submit node. Use htc_download() to retrieve completed job output.

Workflow

cfg <- htc_config()

# One-shot status check
htc_status(config = cfg)

# Monitor a specific cluster until completion
htc_status(cluster_id = 6302860, config = cfg, watch = TRUE)

SSH connection reuse

Each poll in watch mode opens a new SSH connection. Configuring ControlMaster in your ⁠~/.ssh/config⁠ (see htc_config()) is strongly recommended when using watch = TRUE to avoid repeated Duo MFA prompts.

Examples

# Preview the SSH command without connecting to CHTC
cfg <- list(username = "netid", server = "ap2002.chtc.wisc.edu")
htc_status(config = cfg, dry_run = TRUE)

# Preview with a specific cluster ID
htc_status(cluster_id = 6302860, config = cfg, dry_run = TRUE)


## Not run: 
# All remaining examples require a live CHTC connection
cfg <- htc_config()

# Check all your jobs
htc_status(config = cfg)

# Check a specific cluster
htc_status(cluster_id = 6302860, config = cfg)

# Watch a cluster until all jobs complete (polls every 60 seconds)
htc_status(cluster_id = 6302860, config = cfg, watch = TRUE)

# Watch with a shorter polling interval
htc_status(cluster_id = 6302860, config = cfg, watch = TRUE, interval = 30)

## End(Not run)

Submit an HTCondor job from a remote submit node

Description

htc_submit() connects to an HTC submit node via SSH and runs condor_submit on a submit file that has already been uploaded with htc_upload(). It changes into the remote directory before submitting so that relative paths in the submit file resolve correctly.

Usage

htc_submit(
  submit_file = "job.sub",
  remote_path = "~/",
  config = NULL,
  dry_run = FALSE,
  verbose = FALSE
)

Arguments

Value

The cluster ID assigned by HTCondor as a character string, returned invisibly. Pass it directly to htc_status() to monitor job progress. Returns invisible(NULL) if the cluster ID cannot be parsed from the condor_submit output.

Workflow

htc_submit() is the second system-facing step in the submitr workflow. Call it after uploading your files with htc_upload(). The returned cluster ID can be passed directly to htc_status().

cfg <- htc_config()

htc_upload(
  files  = c("job.sub", "job.sh", "analysis.R"),
  config = cfg
)

cluster_id <- htc_submit(submit_file = "job.sub", config = cfg)
htc_status(cluster_id = cluster_id, config = cfg, watch = TRUE)

Why remote_path must match htc_upload()

htc_submit() runs ⁠cd remote_path && condor_submit submit_file⁠ on the submit node. HTCondor resolves all paths in the submit file relative to the directory where condor_submit is called. If remote_path does not match the directory where files were uploaded, HTCondor will not find the executable, input files, or output destinations and the job will fail.

SSH connection reuse

Each call to htc_submit() opens a new SSH connection. If you have not configured ControlMaster in your ⁠~/.ssh/config⁠, this will trigger a Duo MFA prompt. Run htc_config() for setup guidance.

Examples

# Preview the SSH command without connecting to CHTC
cfg <- list(username = "netid", server = "ap2002.chtc.wisc.edu")
htc_submit(submit_file = "job.sub", config = cfg, dry_run = TRUE)


## Not run: 
# All remaining examples require a live CHTC connection
cfg <- htc_config()

# Submit using default remote path
htc_submit(submit_file = "job.sub", config = cfg)

# Submit from a specific remote directory
htc_submit(
  submit_file = "analysis.sub",
  remote_path = "~/projects/penguins/",
  config      = cfg
)

# Submit with verbose output to see condor_submit response
htc_submit(
  submit_file = "job.sub",
  config      = cfg,
  verbose     = TRUE
)

## End(Not run)

Upload files to an HTC submit node

Description

htc_upload() copies one or more local files or directories to a directory on an HTC submit node via scp. It is the first step in the job submission workflow – files must be present on the submit node before htc_submit() can run condor_submit.

Usage

htc_upload(
  files,
  remote_path = "~/",
  config = NULL,
  dry_run = FALSE,
  verbose = FALSE
)

Arguments

Value

Called for its side effects. Returns invisible(NULL).

Workflow

htc_upload() is the first system-facing step in the submitr workflow. Call it after generating your submit file and executable script with htc_gen_submit() and htc_gen_executable(), and before calling htc_submit().

The typical sequence is:

cfg <- htc_config()

htc_upload(
  files  = c("job.sub", "job.sh", "analysis.R", "data.csv"),
  config = cfg
)

htc_submit(submit_file = "job.sub", config = cfg)

SSH connection reuse

Each call to htc_upload() opens a new SSH connection. If you have not configured ControlMaster in your ⁠~/.ssh/config⁠, this will trigger a Duo MFA prompt. Run htc_config() for setup guidance.

Examples

# Preview the scp command without connecting to CHTC
cfg <- list(username = "netid", server = "ap2002.chtc.wisc.edu")
tmp <- tempfile(fileext = ".sub")
writeLines("queue 1", tmp)
htc_upload(files = tmp, config = cfg, dry_run = TRUE)


## Not run: 
# All remaining examples require a live CHTC connection
cfg <- htc_config()

# Upload a single file
htc_upload(files = "job.sub", config = cfg)

# Upload multiple files
htc_upload(
  files  = c("job.sub", "job.sh", "analysis.R"),
  config = cfg
)

# Upload a directory
htc_upload(files = "jobs/", config = cfg)

# Upload to a specific remote directory
htc_upload(
  files       = c("job.sub", "job.sh"),
  remote_path = "~/projects/penguins/",
  config      = cfg
)

## End(Not run)