Creating a Shiny Dashboard with a Custom Row Layout

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In this article, we will explore how to create a Shiny dashboard with a custom row layout using the fluidRow and splitLayout functions from the Shiny dashboard package.

Background

The Shiny dashboard package provides several ways to layout UI elements in a user interface. One of these is the fluidRow function, which allows us to create rows that adapt to different screen sizes. However, this function has some limitations when it comes to creating custom row layouts with multiple columns.

In this article, we will explore how to use the splitLayout function as an alternative to fluidRow, and provide examples of how to use both functions to create a Shiny dashboard with a custom row layout.

Understanding Fluid Rows

Before we dive into the code, let’s take a closer look at how fluid rows work. A fluid row is created using the fluidRow function, which takes a list of child UI elements as an argument. The fluidRow function automatically adds CSS styles to make the row adapt to different screen sizes.

Here’s an example of how to create a simple fluid row:

fluidRow(
  box(width = 3, title = textOutput('title'))
)

In this example, we create a row with two child UI elements: a box element with a width of 3 and a textOutput element. The fluidRow function automatically adds CSS styles to make the row adapt to different screen sizes.

Understanding Split Layouts

Now let’s take a closer look at how split layouts work. A split layout is created using the splitLayout function, which takes a list of child UI elements as an argument and allows us to specify the width or fraction of the row for each element.

Here’s an example of how to create a simple split layout:

splitLayout(
  box(title = textOutput('title'), width = 3),
  box(width = 2)
)

In this example, we create a split layout with two child UI elements: a box element with a title and a width of 3, and another box element with a width of 2.

Creating a Custom Row Layout

Now that we have an understanding of how fluid rows and split layouts work, let’s create a custom row layout using the splitLayout function. We want to create a row with four columns: two columns with a width of 8 and two columns with a width of 4.

Here’s an example of how to create this custom row layout:

splitLayout(
  box(title = textOutput('title'), background = "black", dygraphOutput("plot1"), width = 8),
  box(title = textOutput('title2'), background = "black", dygraphOutput("plot2"), width = 8),
  box(title = textOutput('title3'), background = "black", dygraphOutput("plot3"), width = 4),
  box(title = textOutput('title4'), background = "black", dygraphOutput("plot4"), width = 4)
)

In this example, we create a split layout with four child UI elements: two box elements with titles, backgrounds, and dygraphOutput elements, and two box elements with titles and widths of 4.

Sizing Columns

When using the splitLayout function, you can specify the width or fraction of the row for each element. This allows you to create columns that adapt to different screen sizes.

Here’s an example of how to size a column:

splitLayout(
  box(title = textOutput('title'), background = "black", dygraphOutput("plot1"), width = 8),
  box(width = 2)
)

In this example, we create a split layout with two child UI elements: a box element with a title and a width of 8, and another box element with a width of 2.

Responsive Design

To ensure that your custom row layout is responsive, you can use CSS styles to make the columns adapt to different screen sizes.

Here’s an example of how to add CSS styles to make a column adaptive:

splitLayout(
  box(title = textOutput('title'), background = "black", dygraphOutput("plot1"), width = 8),
  box(width = 2)
)

tags$head(tags$style(HTML('
  .box {
    margin-bottom: 1px;
    padding-right: 1px !important;
    padding-left: 1px !important;
  }
')))

In this example, we add CSS styles to make the box elements adapt to different screen sizes.

Best Practices for Custom Row Layouts

When creating a custom row layout using the splitLayout function, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

Use the width or fraction argument to specify the width of each column.
Use CSS styles to make the columns adapt to different screen sizes.
Test your custom row layout on different screen sizes and devices.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored how to create a Shiny dashboard with a custom row layout using the splitLayout function. We also discussed best practices for creating responsive designs using CSS styles. By following these tips and tricks, you can create a custom row layout that adapts to different screen sizes and devices.

Additional Resources

If you’re interested in learning more about Shiny dashboards or custom row layouts, here are some additional resources:

The official Shiny documentation: https://shiny.rstudio.com/
The Shiny dashboard package documentation: https://shiny.rstudio.com/package/shinydashboard/
The layout guide article: https://shiny.rstudio.com/articles/layout-guide.html
The gridlayout package documentation: https://rstudio.github.io/gridlayout/

Last modified on 2024-02-07