Getting Started with {golem}

Colin Fay

2019-12-10

Installing {golem}

• You can install the stable version of {golem} from CRAN:

install.packages("golem")

The development version of {golem} can be installed from GitHub using the {remotes} package:

remotes::install_github("Thinkr-open/golem")

Getting started

Note before using {golem}:

• A {golem} app is contained inside a package, so knowing how to build a package is highly recommended. On the plus side, everything you know about package development can be reused in {golem}.

• A {golem} app works better if you are working with shiny modules, so knowing how modules work is recommended, but not mandatory.

In the rest of the Vignettes, we’ll assume you’re working in RStudio.

Create a package

Once the package is installed, you can got to File > New Project… in RStudio, and choose “Package for Shiny App Using golem” input.

If you want to do it through command line, you can use:

golem::create_golem(path = "path/to/package")

This command allows you to create “illegally-named” package (for example, 1234) by passing the check_name argument to FALSE. Note that this is not recommended and should only be done if you know what you are doing.

Once you’ve got that, a new RStudio project will be launched. Here is the structure of this project:

DESCRIPTION               
¦--dev/          
  ¦--01_start.R           
  ¦--02_dev.R           
  ¦--03_deploy.R           
  ¦--run_dev.R
¦--inst/ 
  ¦--app                
    ¦--server.R       
    ¦--ui.R           
    ¦--www/          
      ¦--favicon.ico
¦--man/ 
    ¦--run_app.Rd      
NAMESPACE
myapp.Rproj
¦--R/ 
  ¦--app_server.R       
  ¦--app_ui.R           
  ¦--run_app.R      

]

If you’re already familiar with R packages, most of these files will seem very familiar to you. That’s because a {golem} app IS a package.

• DESCRIPTION & NAMESPACE: Package meta-data.

• dev/: Scripts that will be used along the process of developing your app.

• inst/app: You’ll add external dependencies in www (images, css, etc). app_ui and app_server in case you

• man: Package doc, to be generated by R & {roxygen2}.

• myapp.Rproj: RStudio project.

• R/app_server.R, R/app_ui.R: Top level UI and server elements.

• R/run_app.R: a function to configure and launch the application.

dev/01_start.R

Once you’ve created your project, the first file that opens is dev/01_start.R. This file contains a series of commands that you’ll have to run once, at the beginning of the project.

Fill the DESC

First, fill the DESCRIPTION by adding information about the package that will contain your app. The first function, fill_desc(), can be used to fill your DESCRIPTION file.

golem::fill_desc(
  pkg_name = "shinyexample", # The Name of the package containing the App 
  pkg_title = "PKG_TITLE", # The Title of the package containing the App 
  pkg_description = "PKG_DESC.", # The Description of the package containing the App 
  author_first_name = "AUTHOR_FIRST", # Your First Name
  author_last_name = "AUTHOR_LAST",  # Your Last Name
  author_email = "AUTHOR@MAIL.COM",      # Your Email
  repo_url = NULL # The (optional) URL of the GitHub Repo
)    

Add {golem} options

Please DO run this line of code, as it sets a series of global options to be reused inside {golem}.

golem::set_golem_options()

Set common Files

If you want to use the MIT license, README, code of conduct, lifecycle badge, and news

usethis::use_mit_license( name = "Golem User" )  # You can set another license here
usethis::use_readme_rmd( open = FALSE )
usethis::use_code_of_conduct()
usethis::use_lifecycle_badge( "Experimental" )

usethis::use_news_md( open = FALSE )
usethis::use_git()

See {usethis} for more info about these functions.

Add a data-raw folder

If you have data in your package:

usethis::use_data_raw()

About data in a package.

Init Tests

Create a template for tests:

golem::use_recommended_tests()

About tests in a package.

Use Recommended Packages

This will add “shiny”, “DT”, “attempt”, “glue”, “htmltools”, and “golem” as a dependency to your package.

golem::use_recommended_deps("")

Add various tools

• If you want to change the default favicon

# Remove current favicon
golem::remove_favicon()
# Add a new one
golem::use_favicon( path = "path/to/favicon")

Note that you can add an url, and the favicon will be downloaded to the inst/app/www folder.

• Utils

These two functions add a file with various functions that can be used along the process of building your app.

See each file in details for a description of the functions.

golem::use_utils_ui()
golem::use_utils_server()

Try the app

To run the app, go to the dev/run_dev.R file, and launch the all thing.

You’re now set! You’ve successfully initiated the project and can go to dev/02_dev.R.

rstudioapi::navigateToFile("dev/02_dev.R")