An R function library to generate (scientific) reports easily
What is _MarkDownLogs_?
MarkDownLogs is a set of R functions that allows you to generate neat reports / summaries what you discovered with your script. It helps you to:
- Write down your findings easily in a clear and nicely formatted way.
- Support your findings with quick & pretty figures saved along your report
- Link and show these in your markdown or html document, at the right spot.
- Share your findings with others via email, github or a personal website.
Why did I make it & why might you like it?
I do exploratory data analysis as a daily routine and I have constant interaction with all sorts of people: supervisors, collaborators, colleagues, etc.
I often have to...
- ... write emails summarizing the results (text accompanied by figures) of the last few days.
- ...find back results a couple of month back, with all tiny details (parameters used, etc)
- ...assemble each step I did that day into a logical story line, that others can follow right as they see it, e.g.: I observed X; I controlled for Y; Hypothesized explanation A; Falsified it; Came up with explanation B; Tested & proven it...
For all of the above, my solution is MarkDownLogs. I think its better than other solutions I found. Many of those like to combine source code with results, and many are too complex to use. Most of people I interact with are not interested in code, but are very keen on seeing my results from all possible angles and are asking detailed questions about the analysis.
Where does _MarkDownLogs_ stand out?
- Pure markdown output, simple and elegant layout.
- Handy integration of text with figures (linked to an external file & displayed: makes manual tailoring easy)
- Easy generation of precise figures (axis labels, etc) that are saved as a vector graphic (pdf), making it scalable for presentations, posters, etc
- The report file can easily be named after the source file with date & time: it is linked to the source code, but avoids overwriting.
- It does not spam your report with code, but it shares the name, so you can look it up fast if needed.
- It is usable on GitHub Wiki's (you need to create .png versions of .pdf - a current limitation of GitHub)
- It natively exports tables from R to Markdown
- It is all achieved in ~ 200 lines of well commented code.
Discover 4 Yourself!
- See it working: Check out a dummy R script
and the MarkDown report
it generates inside this GitHub Repo. - Check the function documentation in the wiki
- Visit the project's webpage
Learn about the markdown format
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See the power and simplicity of markdown format explained on Github
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Checkout some cool markdown editors, like MOU, or markdownpad.