Question

I would like to ask if there is a way to align text after we have entered it in gtext.
For example

x <- c(123.4, 5.6)
y <- c(1.2, 3.657)
z <- c(12345.6, 789.4)

df <- data.frame(x, y, z)

df.co <- capture.output(df) # get df as text

for (i in 1:length(df.co))
{
    str.split <- strsplit(df.co, "\\s+") # split every line in its components
}

w3 <- gwindow()
gt3 <- gtext(container=w3)

for (i in 1:length(str.split)) # length(str.split)=3
{
for (j in 1:length(str.split[[i]])) # length(str.split[[i]])=2
    {
        str.split[[i]][[j]] <- paste(str.split[[i]][[j]],"\t",sep="",collapse="")  # add tab to each component
    }
    str.split[[i]] <- paste(str.split[[i]], sep="", collapse="") # join to one line
    insert(gt3, str.split[[i]])
}

This way we mimic the R console.
Thank you a lot, in advance

Answer 1

There is no way to align text in the sense of right-align/centre/etc in gWidgets.

I recommend monospace fonts as @Dason suggested (although that seems to be the default for me).

In terms of your code, you can clean it up a little:

• You don’t need the loop in creation of str.split (nothing depends on
  i and you are writing over str.split each time)
• You can eliminate the loops that you use to put the tabs in str.split[[i]]
• You don’t need to add each line of str.split in separately, you can do it all at once.

In summary:

x <- c(123.4, 5.6)
y <- c(1.2, 3.657)
z <- c(12345.6, 789.4)

df <- data.frame(x, y, z)

df.co <- capture.output(df) # get df as text

# @@ don't need loop
str.split <- strsplit(df.co, "\\s+") # split every line in its components

w3 <- gwindow()
gt3 <- gtext(container=w3)

# @@ collapse each str.split[[i]] by joining with '\t'.
str.joined <- sapply(str.split,function(bits) paste(bits,collapse='\t'))
insert(gt3,str.joined)

Alternately, you can replace everything after df.co <- capture.output(df) by:

insert(gt3,df.co)

(do the two side-by-side and compare: insert(gt3,df.co) right-aligns each column of the dataframe, exactly as typing df would show; the method you have (insert(gt3,str.joined)) left-aligns each column.

# insert(gt3,str.joined)/method in your question
    x       y       z   
1   123.4   1.200   12345.6
2   5.6     3.657   789.4

# insert(gt3,df.co)
      x     y       z
1 123.4 1.200 12345.6
2   5.6 3.657   789.4