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:

1. Write down your findings easily in a clear and nicely formatted way.
2. Support your findings with quick & pretty figures saved along your report
3. Link and show these in your markdown or html document, at the right spot.
4. 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...

1. ... write emails summarizing the results (text accompanied by figures) of the last few days.
2. ...find back results a couple of month back, with all tiny details (parameters used, etc)
3. ...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

• See the power and simplicity of markdown format explained on Github

• Checkout some cool markdown editors, like MOU, or markdownpad.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  edit the website