Passing Logical Parameters with Quarto R Package to Knit Chunk Options via a Parameterized Quarto Document in R

This post provides an explanation of how to pass logical parameters using the Quarto R package to knit chunk options. It covers two methods, one using chunk options in chunk headers and the other using YAML syntax for comment-based chunk options.

Introduction

Quarto is a document generation system that allows users to create documents with custom templates and content. The Quarto R package provides an interface to work with Quarto documents from within R. One of the key features of Quarto is its ability to pass parameters to chunks, which are blocks of code or content that can be executed by the Quarto engine.

In this post, we will explore two methods for passing logical parameters using the Quarto R package to knit chunk options. The first method uses chunk options in chunk headers, and the second method uses YAML syntax for comment-based chunk options.

Method 1: Using Chunk Options in Chunk Headers

We can use logical statements in chunk options as we do in r-markdown. This method involves creating a Quarto document with parameters defined in the front matter section of the document. We then use these parameters in chunk headers to pass the logical values to the chunk options.

Here’s an example of how to create a Quarto document using this method:

# library(quarto)
library(rmarkdown)

# Create a Quarto document with parameters
params <- list(show_code = "yes", show_plot = "yes")
document <- "parameterized_report.qmd"

# Render the document with chunk options in chunk headers
quarto_render(
  input = document,
  output_format = "html",
  output_file = "qmd_document_with_code.html",
  execute_params = list(show_plot = params$show_plot, show_code = params$show_code)
)

In this example, we create a Quarto document with parameters defined in the params list. We then use these parameters to render the document with chunk options in chunk headers.

Method 2: Using YAML Syntax for Comment-Based Chunk Options

Quarto prefers comment-based YAML syntax for chunk options over R syntax in the chunk header. This means that we need to use the #| syntax to include chunk options in the code block.

Here’s an example of how to create a Quarto document using this method:

# library(quarto)
library(rmarkdown)

# Create a Quarto document with parameters
params <- list(show_code = "false", show_plot = "false")
document <- "parameterized_report.qmd"

# Render the document with comment-based chunk options
quarto_render(
  input = document,
  output_format = "html",
  output_file = "qmd_document_with_code.html",
  execute_params = list(show_plot = params$show_plot, show_code = params$show_code)
)

In this example, we create a Quarto document with parameters defined in the params list. We then use these parameters to render the document with comment-based chunk options using the #| syntax.

Conclusion

Passing logical parameters using the Quarto R package to knit chunk options is an important feature for customizing documents generated by Quarto. In this post, we explored two methods for achieving this: one using chunk options in chunk headers and the other using YAML syntax for comment-based chunk options.

Last modified on 2023-10-15