R: Run a Shiny document

run {rmarkdown} | R Documentation

## Run a Shiny document

### Description

Start a Shiny server for the given document, and render it for display.

### Usage

    run(file = "index.Rmd", dir = dirname(file), default_file = NULL,
      auto_reload = TRUE, shiny_args = NULL, render_args = NULL)

### Arguments

`file` | Path to the R Markdown document to launch in a web browser. Defaults to `index.Rmd` in the current working directory, but may be `NULL` to skip launching a browser.
`dir` | The directory from which to to read input documents. Defaults to the parent directory of `file`.
`default_file` | The file to serve at the Shiny server's root URL. If `NULL` (the default), a sensible default is chosen (see Details)
`auto_reload` | If `TRUE` (the default), automatically reload the Shiny application when the file currently being viewed is changed on disk.
`shiny_args` | Additional arguments to `runApp`.
`render_args` | Additional arguments to `render`.

### Details

The `run` function runs a Shiny document by starting a Shiny server associated with the document. The `shiny_args` parameter can be used to configure the server; see the `runApp` documentation for details.

Once the server is started, the document will be rendered using `render`. The server will initiate a render of the document whenever necessary, so it is not necessary to call `run` every time the document changes: if `auto_reload` is `TRUE`, saving the document will trigger a render. You can also manually trigger a render by reloading the document in a Web browser.

The server will render any R Markdown (`.Rmd`) document in `dir`; the `file` argument specifies only the initial document to be rendered and viewed. You can therefore link to other documents in the directory using standard Markdown syntax, e.g. `[Analysis Page 2](page2.Rmd)`.

If `default_file` is not specified, nor is a file specified on the URL, then the default document to serve at `/` is chosen from (in order of preference):

- If `dir` contains only one `Rmd`, that `Rmd`.

- The file `index.Rmd`, if it exists in `dir`

- The file `index.html`, if it exists in `dir`

If you wish to share R code between your documents, place it in a file named `global.R` in `dir`; it will be sourced into the global environment.

### Value

Invisible NULL.

### Note

Unlike `render`, `run` does not render the document to a file on disk. In most cases a Web browser will be started automatically to view the document; see `launch.browser` in the `runApp` documentation for details.

When using an external web browser with the server, specify the name of the R Markdown file to view in the URL (e.g. `http://127.0.0.1:1234/foo.Rmd`). A URL without a filename will show the `default_file` as described above.

### Examples

    ## Not run:

    # Run the Shiny document "index.Rmd" in the current directory
    rmarkdown::run()

    # Run the Shiny document "shiny_doc.Rmd" on port 8241
    rmarkdown::run("shiny_doc.Rmd", shiny_args = list(port = 8241))

    ## End(Not run)

[Package rmarkdown version 1.6 Index]