17.33. Use R scripts in Processing
Module contributed by Matteo Ghetta - funded by Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
Processing (with the Processing R Provider
plugin) makes it possible to write
and run R scripts inside QGIS.
Warning
R has to be installed on your computer and the PATH has to be correctly set up. Moreover Processing just calls the external R packages, it is not able to install them. So be sure to install external packages directly in R. See the related chapter in the user manual.
Note
If you have package problems, it may be related to missing
mandatory packages required by Processing, like sp
, rgdal
and raster
.
17.33.1. Adding scripts
Adding a script is simple.
The easiest way is to open the Processing toolbox and choose
processing/rscripts
).
When it has been saved there, it will be available for editing by
right-clicking on the script name in the processing toolbox and then choose
).
Note
If you cannot see R in Processing, you have to activate it in
It opens a script editor window in which you have to specify some parameters before you can add the script body.
17.33.2. Creating plots
In this tutorial we are going to create a boxplot of a vector layer field.
Open the r_intro.qgs
QGIS project under the
exercise_data/processing/r_intro/
folder.
Script parameters
Open the editor and start writing at the beginning of it.
You must specify some parameters before the script body:
The name of the group (plots in this case) in which you want to put your script (if the group does not exist, it will be created):
##plots=group
You will find your script in the plots R group in the Processing toolbox.
You have to tell Processing that you want to display a plot (in this example):
##showplots
You will then find a link to the plot in the Result Viewer panel (can be turned on / off in
and with ).You also need to tell Processing about your input data. In this example we want to create a plot from a field of a vector layer:
##Layer=vector
Processing now knows that the input is a vector. The name Layer is not important, what matters is the vector parameter.
Finally, you have to specify the input field of the vector layer (using the name you have provided above - Layer):
##X=Field Layer
Processing now knows that you need a field of Layer, and that you will call it X.
It is also possible to define the name of your script using
name
:##My box plot script=name
If not defined, the file name will be used as the name of the script.
Script body
Now that you have set up the heading of the script you can add the function:
boxplot(Layer[[X]])
boxplot is the name of the R function, the parameter Layer is the name that you have defined for the input dataset and X is the name you have defined for the field of that dataset.
Warning
The parameter X has to be within double square brackets ([[]]
).
The final script looks like this:
##Vector processing=group
##showplots
##Layer=vector
##X=Field Layer
boxplot(Layer[[X]])
Save the script in the default path suggested by Processing (processing/rscripts).
If you have not defined a name
in the script heading, the file name you
choose will become the name of the script in the Processing toolbox.
Note
You can save the script wherever you like, but Processing will then not be able to include it in the processing toolbox automatically, so you have to upload it manually.
Now just run it using the button on the top of the editor window:
Once the editor window has been closed, use the text box of Processing to find your script:
You can now fill the parameters required in the Processing algorithm window:
for Layer choose sample_points
for the X field choose value
Click on Run.
The Result window should be automatically opened, if not, just click on
.Click on the link in the viewer and you will see:
Note
You can open, copy and save the image by right clicking on the plot.
17.33.3. Create a vector
You can also create a vector layer and have it automatically loaded into QGIS.
The following example has been taken from the Random sampling grid
script that can be found in the online collection of R scripts
(the scripts in this online collection can be found in
https://github.com/qgis/QGIS-Processing/tree/master/rscripts).
The aim of this exercise is to create a random point vector layer
using an input vector layer to restrict the extent using the spsample
function of the sp
package.
Script parameters
As before we have to set some parameters before the script body:
Specify the name of the group in which you want to put your script, in this case Point pattern analysis:
##Point pattern analysis=group
Define an input parameter (a vector layer) that will constrain the placement of the random points:
##Layer=vector
Set an input parameter for the number of points that are going to be created (
Size
, with a default value of10
):##Size=number 10
Note
Since a default value (
10
) is defined, the user can change this number or can leave the parameter without a number.Specify that there is an output vector layer (called
Output
):##Output=output vector
Script body
Now you can add the body of the function:
Use the
spsample
function:pts=spsample(Layer, Size, type="random")
The function uses the Layer to constrain the placement of the points (if it is a line layer, a points will have to be on one of the lines in the layer, if it is a polygon layer, a point will have to be within a polygon). The number of points is taken from the Size parameter. The sampling method is random.
Generate the output (the
Output
parameter):Output=SpatialPointsDataFrame(pts, as.data.frame(pts))
The final script looks like this:
##Point pattern analysis=group
##Layer=vector
##Size=number 10
##Output=output vector
pts=spsample(Layer, Size, type="random")
Output=SpatialPointsDataFrame(pts, as.data.frame(pts))
Save it and run it, clicking on the run button.
In the new window type in the right parameters:
and click on run.
The result layer will be added to the table of contents and its points will be displayed on the map canvas:
17.33.4. Text and graph output from R - syntax
Processing (with the Processing R Provider plugin
) uses special
syntax to get the results out of R:
>
before your command, as in>lillie.test(Layer[[Field]])
means the result should be sent to R output (Result viewer)+
after a plot enables overlay plots. For exampleplot(Layer[[X]], Layer[[Y]]) + abline(h=mean(Layer[[X]]))