RMarkdown

Slides & materials

Gui Garcia



A typical workflow


  1. Data analysis using SPSS, SAS, Python, MatLab, R…
  1. Document preparation using Word
  • If data changes → plots change → document changes too
  • Copy and paste figures multiple times 😭 

Formatting


  • Word: easy but bad
  • LaTeX: hard but great

  • LyX is a good compromise (later this term)
  • Markdown is even easier than LyX, but more limited
  • This presentation is done using Markdown

Markdown: simplicity


  • Simple idea: minimize work when writing
  • LaTeX: \textbf{this is bold} 
  • Markdown: **this is bold**
  • Sections and subsections are done using #
# Section
Some text

## Subsection
More text

Markdown: automation


  • Numbering is automated (and so are lists)
  • Basically, a “smart Notepad”
  • It will be super fast (unlike Word)
  • It will be super easy (unlike LaTeX)
  • But it will also be more limited
  • More advanced features through html or CSS

Markdown: output

  • Markdown is great for simple, online docs
  • But we typically need complex, PDFs
  • Different apps will convert md to PDF for us
  • But whether we go from Word to Markdown…