DataLinter for R (VS Code Extension)

Analyze your R code and datasets interactively using the DataLinter service directly within VS Code. This extension extracts active datasets from your running R console, captures the selected context, and sends them to a local or remote DataLinter server to produce an interactive dashboard showing check statuses, severity levels, and detailed lint information.

📋 Prerequisites

Before running the DataLinter R CLI Runner, ensure you have the following components set up:

1. R Environment

• R installation: R must be installed and configured on your system.
• VS Code R Extension: The official R extension for running code with Ctrl+Enter and managing the terminal session.
• Active R Session: You must have an active R Interactive terminal open in VS Code where your data frames and variables are loaded in memory.

2. DataLinter Server

The extension sends code and CSV data to an HTTP-based DataLinter server.

• Ensure you have the DataLinter Server running.

Sample docker run: docker run -it --rm -p10000:10000 ghcr.io/zgornel/datalinter-compiled:latest datalinterserver/bin/datalinterserver -i 0.0.0.0 -p 10000 --config-path /datalinter/config/r_modelling_config.toml --log-level debug

• By default, the extension targets http://localhost:10000/api/lint.

🚀 How to Use

1. Start the DataLinter Server: Make sure your local DataLinter HTTP server is running at the configured endpoint (e.g., http://localhost:10000).
2. Load your Data: In your R script, select and run the code that creates your dataset (e.g., using Ctrl+Enter to send it to the R Interactive terminal).
3. Run the Linter:
   • Highlight one or multiple lines of code or the dataset variable name (e.g., out1 or a model call containing data = out1).
   • Right-click the selection and choose "Analyze Selection with DataLinter for R" from the context menu.
   • Or open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and search for "R Tools: Analyze Selection with DataLinter for R".

🎨 Features

• Interactive Webview Dashboard: See summary cards with totals of passed, failed, and N/A checks. Filter by check status or search for specific columns, rules, or messages dynamically.
• Smart Terminal Routing: Automatically detects your "R Interactive" or "R" terminals to extract data, even if your active focus is on another terminal (like PowerShell or Node tasks).
• Fault-Tolerant Extraction: If the variable does not exist in R or throws an error, the extension catches the exception immediately, shows an informative notification toast, and cleans up temporary extraction files.
• Support for Large Datasets: Features an adjustable 10-minute timeout for processing and exporting large tables to CSV.

⚙️ Configuration Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• rServerRunner.serverUrl (Type: string):
  • Default: http://localhost:10000/api/lint
  • Description: The endpoint of the running HTTP-based DataLinter server.

🛠️ Development & Building

To modify or compile the extension:

1. Clone/open this directory.
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Run the compiler in watch mode:

   npm run watch
   

4. Press F5 in VS Code to open a Extension Development Host window to test the changes.