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https://github.com/dgkf/scriptgloss

dynamically reconstruct static code for shiny outputs
https://github.com/dgkf/scriptgloss

r reproducibility shiny static-code-analysis

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dynamically reconstruct static code for shiny outputs

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# scriptgloss

Reconstruct static code from shiny apps



`scriptgloss` exposes functionality for building static code to recreate outputs
built in a shiny context. Construct something in shiny and generate the code
needed to produce it without needing to trudge through the app code.

# Installation

For now, due to a dependency on the `graph` package in Bioconductor by way of
`CodeDepends`, this package will fail to install via the typical `devtools`
mechanisms. Instead, please use `BiocManager` and follow any prompts to install
the package, pulling from Bioconductor when necessary. I'll be working to reduce
this impedence.

```
install.packages("BiocManager") # R (>3.5.0)
BiocManager::install("dgkf/scriptgloss")
```

>**Developer Note**
>This was my first foray into advising installation via `BiocManager`. If you
[run into issues, please report
them](https://github.com/dgkf/scriptgloss/issues) and I'll work to make the
installation seamless until this dependency requirement has been resolved.

# Getting Started

## Start by building a `shiny` app

Let's say we're building a shiny app to explore the `mtcars` dataset. We might
start with something like this:

```r
library(shiny)

ui <- fluidPage(
selectInput('x', 'x axis', choices = names(mtcars)),
selectInput('y', 'y axis', choices = names(mtcars)),
plotOutput('plot'))

srv <- function(input, output, session) {
output$plot <- renderPlot({
plot(x = mtcars[[input$x]], y = mtcars[[input$y]],
xlab = input$x, ylab = input$y)
})
}

shinyApp(ui, srv)
```

If you run the code above, you'll see that it's quite simple; just two drop down
menus to pick an x and y variable which will update a plot to compare the two.

## Adding code export elements

In order to add static code output, there are just a few small steps that need
to be taken.

1. The JavaScript dependencies need to be added to the webpage header. This can
be done easily by adding the UI element, `scriptglossJS()`.
1. A UI button needs to be added to export the code. For this, `scriptgloss`
provides the functions `showCodeButton()` and `clipCodeButton()` for showing
code in a modal window or copying to clipboard respectively.
1. An observer of the UI button needs to be added to prepare the code.

>### Adding a "Show Code" button
>A minimal example showing how you would use the `showCodeButton()` UI element.
Not the most interesting code in the world, but operational!

```r
library(shiny)
library(scriptgloss)

ui <- fluidPage(
scriptglossJS(),
showCodeButton("show_code"))

srv <- function(input, output, session) {
# ui observer to display a modal code window when the button is pressed
observeEvent(input$show_code, show_code_modal(srv))
}

shinyApp(ui, srv)
```

>### Adding a clipboard button to copy code
>A minimal example of how you would add a button to copy static code to the
clipboard. Again, nothing too exciting, but hopefully enough to build it into
your own work.

```r
library(shiny)
library(scriptgloss)

ui <- fluidPage(
scriptglossJS(),
uiOutput('copy_code_btn'))

srv <- function(input, output, session) {
# ui observer to copy code to the user's clipboard
output$copy_code_btn <- renderUI(clipCodeButton(srv))
}

shinyApp(ui, srv)
```

## Reworking our `shiny` app to produce static code

Just by following the steps above, we can quickly add a button to show off our
code!

```r
library(shiny)
library(scriptgloss)

ui <- fluidPage(
selectInput('x', 'x axis', choices = names(mtcars)),
selectInput('y', 'y axis', choices = names(mtcars)),
plotOutput('plot'),
# add our UI elements ...
scriptglossJS(), # <-- don't forget the JavaScript part!
showCodeButton("show_code"), # button to show code as a pop-up
uiOutput("clip_code_btn")) # button to copy to clipboard

srv <- function(input, output, session) {
output$plot <- renderPlot({
plot(x = mtcars[[input$x]], y = mtcars[[input$y]],
xlab = input$x, ylab = input$y)
})

# observer for our modal button
observeEvent(input$show_code, show_code_modal(srv, "plot"))

# button renderer for our copy-to-clipboard button
output$clip_code_btn <- renderUI(clipCodeButton(text = get_code(srv, "plot")))
}

shinyApp(ui, srv)
```

# Acknowledgements

Early prototypes developed at Genentech. Many thanks to my employer for their
encouragement and accommodation in allowing me to release this work publicly.