knit sjplot as html output

Question

I am using sjPlot::tab_xtab to create some tables in rmarkdown (they look great!). However, the tables are generated as individual html pages in my browser, and not as a single html file. Similar to this problem here.

According to the documentation, we can use sjtab to knit tables into a html file: (this is what I want)

```{r}
library(dplyr)
library(sjPlot)
library(sjmisc)
data(efc)
 
efc %>% 
  group_by(e16sex, c172code) %>% 
  select(e42dep, n4pstu, e16sex, c172code) %>% 
  sjtab(fun = "xtab")
```

I don't know how to incorporate this sjtab into my user function to generate the plots. I also looked through this documentation, but could not find the solution. Right now, I have to take a screen shot of each table that appears my browser and paste the tables together. :(

Problem: I want to have all the tables in a single file (html, pdf or word) so that I can scroll down the file to view all the tables at once.

Could someone please let me know how I can render each of the tables into a single html file?

Here is the code from my rmarkdown file. It should run with no error.

---
title: "testChi"
author: "g"
date: "10/15/2021"
output:
  pdf_document: default
  word_document: default
  html_document: default
---



```{r setup, include=FALSE, error=FALSE, warning=FALSE}
library(magrittr)
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
library(pander)



# cols <- svy_final %>% select(matches("Q44_[[:digit:]]")) %>% names(.)
cols <- mtcars %>% select(matches("mpg|cyl|disp")) %>% names(.)

create_plots <- function(dat,title_name) {

  # school <- enquo()
 for (i in cols) {
    plt <- sjPlot::tab_xtab(
      var.row =  dat$gear,
      var.col = dat[[i]],
      show.row.prc = TRUE,
      var.labels = c("gear size", i),
      title = title_name
    )
    # return(out)
    print(plt)
  }
}

```




```{r loop_print, results = 'asis',error=FALSE, warning=FALSE, message=FALSE}

create_plots(mtcars, 'gear and stuff') %>% pander()


```

Answer 1

I got your markdown running and I can see the problem.

For me the workaround below worked. It is basically your code, just that each plot isn't called in the loop, but saved to a list. Afterwards you just call each plot separately from the list l[[1]], l[[2]], l[[3]] without using a loop.

Your problem seems to appear whenever you call the plots inside a loop.

---
title: "testChi"
author: "g"
date: "10/15/2021"
output:
  html_document: default
---

``````{r packages, include = F}
library(magrittr)
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
library(pander)
```


```{r tables, , print = F, echo = F, results="asis"}

cols <- mtcars %>% select(matches("mpg|cyl|disp")) %>% names(.)
dat <- mtcars
title_name <- 'gear and stuff'

l = list()
i = 1;

for (x in cols) {
      plt <- sjPlot::tab_xtab(
      var.row =  dat$gear,
      var.col = dat[[x]],
      show.row.prc = TRUE,
      var.labels = c("gear size", x),
      title = title_name)
      l[[i]] <- plt
      i = i+1
}

l[[1]]
l[[2]]
l[[3]]

```

The result ( all plots below each other):

Here is also a version without having to call each element separately:

---
title: "testChi"
author: "g"
date: "10/15/2021"
output:
  html_document: default
---

``````{r packages, include = F}
library(magrittr)
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
library(pander)
```


```{r tables, , print = F, echo = F, results="asis"}

cols <- mtcars %>% select(matches("mpg|cyl|disp")) %>% names(.)
dat <- mtcars
title_name <- 'gear and stuff'

i = 1;
c <- character()

for (x in cols) {
      plt <- sjPlot::tab_xtab(
      var.row =  dat$gear,
      var.col = dat[[x]],
      show.row.prc = TRUE,
      var.labels = c("gear size", x),
      title = title_name)
      c <-  paste(c, plt$knitr)
}

knitr::raw_html(c)


```

I think in general you have to avoid separate print statements on the return object of tab_xtab(), since it is always a whole html page. While $knitr from the return object isn't a whole html page, but instead only the html code for the tables.

Another version to fit exactly the initial example with a function:

  ---
title: "testChi"
author: "g"
date: "10/15/2021"
output:
  html_document: default
---



```{r setup, include=FALSE, error=FALSE, warning=FALSE}
library(magrittr)
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
library(pander)


cols <- mtcars %>% select(matches("mpg|cyl|disp")) %>% names(.)

create_plots <- function(dat,title_name) {

 c <- character()
 for (i in cols) {
    plt <- sjPlot::tab_xtab(
      var.row =  dat$gear,
      var.col = dat[[i]],
      show.row.prc = TRUE,
      var.labels = c("gear size", i),
      title = title_name
    )
  c <-  paste(c, plt$knitr)

 }
 knitr::raw_html(c)

}

```

```{r loop_print, results = 'asis',error=FALSE, warning=FALSE, message=FALSE}
create_plots(mtcars, 'gear and stuff')
```

```{r loop_print2, results = 'asis',error=FALSE, warning=FALSE, message=FALSE}
create_plots(mtcars, 'other stuff')
```