Intermediate Usage of ggsaveR • ggsaveR

Introduction

This vignette builds on the basics covered in “Getting Started with ggsaveR” and explores more advanced features, such as saving plots in multiple dimensions and preventing accidental file overwrites.

library(ggplot2)
library(ggsaveR)
#> 
#> Attaching package: 'ggsaveR'
#> The following object is masked from 'package:ggplot2':
#> 
#>     ggsave

# Create a sample plot
p <- ggplot(iris, aes(Sepal.Length, Petal.Length, color = Species)) +
  geom_point() +
  labs(title = "Sepal Length vs. Petal Length")

Saving Multiple Formats and Dimensions

In the previous vignette, we saw how to save a plot in multiple formats. The ggsaveR.formats option is highly flexible and allows you to specify different dimensions, resolutions, and other parameters for each file.

Let’s define a set of formats for different purposes: a high-resolution PNG for a presentation, a PDF for a manuscript, and an SVG for web use.

options(ggsaveR.formats = list(
  # A high-res PNG for presentations
  list(device = "png", width = 8, height = 5, units = "in", dpi = 300),
  # A PDF for a manuscript, with dimensions in centimeters
  list(device = "pdf", width = 18, height = 11, units = "cm"),
  # An SVG for web/editing
  list(device = "svg", width = 7, height = 4.5)
))

Now, a single ggsave() call will generate all three files with their respective specifications. The original file extension is ignored, and the filename is used as a base name.

# This creates "iris_plot.png", "iris_plot.pdf", and "iris_plot.svg"
ggsave("outputs/iris_plot.png", p)

# Reset the option
options(ggsaveR.formats = NULL)

Preventing File Overwrites

During a long analysis, you might accidentally overwrite a critical plot. ggsaveR provides the ggsaveR.overwrite_action option to control this behavior.

The default is "overwrite", which mimics the standard ggplot2::ggsave behavior.

Stop on Existing File

Set the option to "stop" to throw an error if the file already exists. This is useful for preventing accidental overwrites in critical scripts.

options(ggsaveR.overwrite_action = "stop")

# This will work the first time
ggsave("critical_plot.png", p)

# If you run it again, it will throw an error
# ggsave("critical_plot.png", p)
# Error: File 'critical_plot.png' already exists and ggsaveR.overwrite_action is set to 'stop'.

Create a Unique Filename

Alternatively, you can set the option to "unique" to automatically generate a new filename if the intended one already exists. This is useful for iterative analyses where you want to keep all versions of a plot.

options(ggsaveR.overwrite_action = "unique")

# Run this once: creates "versioned_plot.png"
ggsave("versioned_plot.png", p)

# Run this again: creates "versioned_plot-1.png"
ggsave("versioned_plot.png", p)

# And again: creates "versioned_plot-2.png"
ggsave("versioned_plot.png", p)

# Reset to default
options(ggsaveR.overwrite_action = "overwrite")

These intermediate features provide a much finer level of control over how your plots are saved, helping to streamline your workflow and protect your work.