rscripts

Simple connector between nodejs and R

prerequisite

$ node -v # recommanded version > 10 
$ Rscript --version # Rscript commands exist in PATH 

API

• new R(option), option:

  {silence: false}

  silence: silence print / cat ... globally.

• async exec(path, ...args)

  path: file path

  args: appending arguments in command line

Notice

- The result of exec is the final output of R, mass print / cat / ... or other logging methods at the same time may clog the message pipe, thus better use Sys.sleep() before output the final result

- exec(path, ...args): the proper way to pass data between application is through process.env, passing data through ...args is highly UNRECOMMANDED, because it will transfer data through command line, and the program will sanitize the input first for security reasons, but such method destroys the data integrity, i.e. the program is going to replace ' with "

example

JS:

const R = require("rscripts");
var r = new R({ silence: false });
process.env.renv = "1"; # env can only be string variable
r.exec("test.r")
  .then(console.log)
  .catch(console.log);
process.env.renv = "2";
r.exec("test.r")
  .then(console.log)
  .catch(console.log);
process.env.renv = "3"
r.exec("test.r","passing","data",100, "unrecommanded")

R:

if (Sys.getenv("renv") == "1") cat(Sys.getenv("renv"));
if (Sys.getenv("renv") == "2") {
  print(10);
  print(20);
  Sys.sleep(1); # necessary method, prevent pipe clogging
  cat(30);
}
if(Sys.getenv("renv") == "3") {
  args <- commandArgs(TRUE);
  cat(args); # output : passing data 100 unrecommanded
}