Simple usage question

[jennybc]

What's the easiest path to get this Gist into my hands using gistr?

https://gist.github.com/expersso/4ac33b9c00751fddc7f8#file-google_maps_with_rvest

I tried this

> browse("https://gist.github.com/expersso/4ac33b9c00751fddc7f8#file-google_maps_with_rvest")
Error: Not Found

I'd like to fork it or get that code on my clipboard or get in a local file. It's just an example of wanting to get someone else's Gist and play with it.

Needless to say, I think this is just a documentation gap. And I obviously know how to complete the task other ways, just thought I'd try to do it with gistr for kicks.

[jennybc]

There's no example for browse(). So I just guessed at what sort of input I could provide. And apparently I guessed wrong.

[sckott]

hi @jennybc - good question

right, browse just takes a gist class object

[sckott]

browse to the gist in your default browser

gist("4ac33b9c00751fddc7f8") %>% browse()

fork a gist and browse to it

gist('4ac33b9c00751fddc7f8') %>% fork() %>% browse()

[jennybc]

What if I wanted to fork, pull to my machine, and open/run/edit?

[sckott]

What is the exact behavior you want?

• pull down into memory, then execute one or more files (assuming they are executable)
• pull down gist, save files to disk, then run things from disk
• pull down gist, open file in rstudio to edit

[jennybc]

I was expecting a way to pull down the gist (the original or my fork) into local file(s). And have the path returned/printed? So options 2 or 3 above.

[sckott]

okay

[sckott]

okay, on reinstall see gist_save()

[jennybc]

Cool! About to be sucked in to meetings but will try some time later today and close.

[sckott]

👍

[jennybc]

Excellent! It all worked. Here are a few suggestions, but feel free to ignore. I'll close anyway.

Consider providing a gist creation/registration function that accepts a browser URL. Digging the gist id out by hand is frustrating. I wrestled a lot with same thing over in googlesheets. The API wants one sort of info, but human beings have easy access to another sort. It's easy to translate between them though, so why not do it?

It's sad that the gist id is lost in the default file name from gist_save(). Seems like it would be good to build that into filename itself, if someone wanted to remember which Gist was the original source.

I didn't try it, but what happens if gist contains multiple files?

[sckott]

• can definitely accept a URL in addition to gist id
• file names: hmmm, but if you do push up a gist with those same files, then would you strip the gist ids out? if not, if you create a new gist, the gist id would be different, and would be diff. from those ids in the file name, kinda confusing. I guess we could attach the gist id to file names, then always strip them out when doing an edit to an existing gist or creating new one
• multiple files: it's vectorized, so if there's multiple files, it saves all, and if you choose to open them, opens all in e.g., rstudio