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https://github.com/MilesMcBain/datapasta
On top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese....
https://github.com/MilesMcBain/datapasta
addin clipboard copypaste excel r tibble
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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On top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese....
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/MilesMcBain/datapasta
- Owner: MilesMcBain
- License: other
- Created: 2016-09-25T13:48:36.000Z (about 8 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2022-04-29T11:08:13.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-06-20T19:27:57.133Z (3 months ago)
- Topics: addin, clipboard, copypaste, excel, r, tibble
- Language: R
- Homepage: https://milesmcbain.github.io/datapasta/
- Size: 1.76 MB
- Stars: 887
- Watchers: 26
- Forks: 58
- Open Issues: 31
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# datapasta 3.1.1 'Leave to Simmer'
[](https://milesmcbain.r-universe.dev)
[](http://www.r-pkg.org/pkg/datapasta)
[](https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=datapasta)
# The Goods
# Introducing datapasta
`datapasta` is about reducing resistance associated with copying and pasting data to and from R. It is a response to the realisation that I often found myself using intermediate programs like Sublime to munge text into suitable formats. Addins and functions in `datapasta` support a wide variety of input and output situations, so it (probably) "just works". Hopefully tools in this package will remove such intermediate steps and associated frustrations from our data slinging workflows.
# Prerequisites
* Linux users will need to install either `xsel` or `xclip`. These applications provide an interface to X selections (clipboard-like).
- For example: `sudo apt-get install xsel` - it's 72kb...
* Windows and MacOS have nothing extra to do.
# Installation
## R Universe (preferred)
1. install with R universe repo:
```
install.packages(
"datapasta",
repos = c(mm = "https://milesmcbain.r-universe.dev", getOption("repos")))
```
2. Set the keyboard shortcuts using **Tools** -> **Addins** -> **Browse Addins**, then click **Keyboard Shortcuts...**
## CRAN (outdated)
For now, no further versions of `datapasta` will be going to CRAN. There are some known bugs in the CRAN version that have been fixed in `3.1.1`.
1. `install.packages("datapasta")`
# Usage
## Use with RStudio
### Getting data into source
At the moment this package contains these RStudio addins that paste data to the cursor:
* `tribble_paste` which pastes a table as a nicely formatted call to `tibble::tribble()`
- Recommend Ctrl + Shift + t as shortcut.
- Table can be delimited with tab, comma, pipe or semicolon.
* `vector_paste` which will paste delimited data as a vector definition, e.g. `c("a", "b")` etc.
- Recommend Ctrl + Alt + Shift + v as shortcut.
* `vector_paste_vertical` which will paste delimited data as a vertically formatted vector definition.
- Recommend Ctrl + Shift + v as shortcut
- example output:
```
c("Mint",
"Fedora",
"Debian",
"Ubuntu",
"OpenSUSE")
```
* `df_paste` which pastes a table on the clipboard as a standard `data.frame` definition rather than a `tribble` call. This has certain advantages in the context of reproducible examples and educational posts. Many thanks to [Jonathan Carroll](https://github.com/jonocarroll) for getting this rolling and coding the bulk of the feature.
- Recommend Ctrl + Alt + Shift + d as shortcut.
* `dt_paste` which is the same as `df_paste`, but for `data.table`.
### Massaging data in source
There are two Addins that can help with creating and aligning data in your editor:
* `Fiddle Selection` will perform magic on a selection. It can be used to:
- Turn raw data delimited by any combination of commas, spaces, and newlines into a `c()` expression
- Pivot a `c()` expr between horizontal and vertical layout.
- Reflow messy `tribble()` and `data.frame()` exprs.
- Recommend Ctrl +Shift + f as shortcut.
* `Toggle Vector Quotes` will toggle a `c()` expr between all elements wrapped in `""` and all bare unquoted form. Handy in combination with above to save mucho keystrokes.
- Recommend Ctrl +Shift + q as shortcut.
### Getting Data out of an R session
There are two R functions available that accept R objects and output formatted text for pasting to a [reprex](https://github.com/tidyverse/reprex) or other application:
* `dpasta` accepts tibbles, data.frames, and vectors. Data is output in a format that matches in input class. Formatted text is pasted at the cursor.
* `dmdclip` accepts the same inputs as `dpasta` but inserts the formatted text onto the clipboard, preceded by 4 spaces so that is can be as pasted as a preformatted block to Github, Stackoverflow etc.
## Use with other editors
The only hard dependency of `datapasta` is `readr` for type guessing. All the above `*paste` functions can be called directly instead of as an addin, and will fall back to console output if the `rstudioapi` is not available.
On system without access to the clipboard (or without `clipr` installed) `datapasta` can still be used to output R objects from an R session. `dpasta` is probably the only function you care about in this scenario.
### Custom Installation
`datapasta` imports `clipr` and `rstudioapi` so as to make installation smooth and easy for most users. If you wish to avoid installing an `rstudioapi` you will never use you can use:
* `install.packages("datapasta", dependencies = "Depends")`.
* Followed by `install.packages("clipr")` to enable clipboard features.
# Pitfalls
* `tribble_paste` works well with CSVs, excel files, and html tables, but is currently brittle with respect to irregular table structures like merged cells or multi-line column headings. For some reason Wikipedia seems chock full of these. :(
* Quoted csv data, where the quotes contain commas will not be parsed correctly.
* Nested list columns have limited support with `tribble_paste()`/`dpasta()`. Nested lists of length 1 fail unless all are length 1 - It's complicated. You still get some output so it might be viable to fix and reflow with `Fiddle Selection`. Tread with caution.
# Prior art
This package is made possible by [mdlincon's clipr](https://github.com/mdlincoln/clipr), and Hadley's packages [tibble](https://github.com/hadley/tibble) and [readr](https://github.com/hadley/tibble) (for data-type guessing). I especially appreciate `clipr's` thoughtful approach to the clipboard on Linux, which pretty much every other R clipboard package just nope'd out on.
# Future developments
I am interested in expanding the types of objects supported by the output functions `dpasta`. I would also like to eventually have `Fiddle Selection` to pivot function calls and named vectors. Feel free to contribute your ideas to the open issues.
# Bonus
0 to `datapasta` in 64 seconds via a video vignette:
[](https://youtu.be/Sz-tEVqZh5s)