Sometimes people want to change the names of buttons that they have created, which may happen later within the use of the program. Shiny is one of the better ways to do this and is usually the package that people will suggest. The reason that button names can change is that data manipulation can lead to different paths which require a different outlook from what is seen. So, a person is able to work the data in a way that even the interface can move with what is found. It is another way to show R is flexible for programmers.
Package Used
This tutorial is only going to be using the shiny package, though some of the functionality can be found in other packages. The package can make the entire program that is created into a professional program that would be presentable to the client of the programmer. Once learning this package, a person can learn how to use something like shinyjs and others, but getting used to one package at a time will help people be deeper in their abilities. Shiny is used with web apps, so this needs to be remembered when someone is setting up their project.
Keep Fluid
The way that the changes will happen is that the pages are set as interactive and fluidPage, which will set the environment to be able to be manipulated. The program will need to be kept in a way that changes can happen whenever they need it to. This will allow customers to adapt their product to their need so that it remains relevant to the users. This will allow other changes to be made, not just changing button names. It will also make it easier when something is needing to be adaptive, which gives programs a longer life.
The beginning should look like this for the updating.
If (interactive ()) {ui ⇽ fluidPage(
Main Function
The main function that will allow people to make the changes is updateActionButton, which has several arguments to make it go smoothly. The inputid is exactly what it says by being the name of the button to be changed. Icon is the icon and to make the change Label is also what a person will believe it to be, with it also being a name argument. Session is the only argument that can confuse, as it passes the function that is given to shinyServer. These are what will need to be used when typing out the function properly.
This will look like this.
updateActionButton(session, inputId, label = NULL, icon =NULL)
Working Changes
How this works is that the changes will be sent out as a message, which will be seen after all other updates have been done. Any null values that are found will be ignored, so this will need to be remembered when needing to make these changes. Also, the original names will need to be set to a character state of zero. Basically, set the button name to zero, send the new name, which will then happen after other actions have been taken by the program. This means that the button name can be flexible for new data.
Change Considerations
Changing the name of the buttons can be confusing to people, especially for those who are new to the program that is being used. This means that the web app will need to be easy enough to understand, so any changes are seen as natural. One of the button changes that could happen could be the date or day that people are needing to see. It could also be changed for available options, if they change under specific conditions. Any confusion in how something operates will cause people to find other programs for their needs if they exist.
Name Generation
When setting up the name change, the programmer needs to understand if the name needs to come from the user or the program. These are different inputs and can make the web app far more useful for the circumstances. The user making changes can be for them to keep everything organized in a way they understand. The program making the changes can help keep the app ready for real world situations that are beyond the user’s control. This is an important decision and the programmer will need to understand what they are creating from the client perspective.
Most people never consider that the names of the buttons will need to be changed, but it is a flexibility that needs to be remembered. Not everything in programs should remain static, especially with programs that cover things like traffic, weather, market conditions, or any of the areas where data changes frequently. It keeps the entire program relevant in a way that will endear a programmer to an employer or client. It is also a next level move that shows a maturity in the language. Never ignore functions, as needs change over the years in how programming is perceived overall.