checkboxGroupInput displaying list of table elements rather than table itself - r

Question

I am creating an R Shiny application primarily using checkboxGroupInput where for each checkbox name I check, the corresponding table should display in the main UI panel. I have linked each checkbox option to its corresponding table (already in my previous script) in the "choices" argument of checkboxGroupInput. I use eventReactive to make a working button and renderTable to produce the appropriate tables. However, what displays in the main panel when I click the button is a list of each cell in the table rather than the table itself. This list of values looks a bit like this:
list(CUI = "C05372341", LAT = "ENG", TS = "P", LUI = "L0883457", STT = "PF", SUI = "S13423408", ISPREF = "N", AUI = "A10344304", SAUI = "21823712", SCUI = "1341953", SDUI = NA, SAB = "LKDHDS", TTY = "IN", CODE = "139433", STR = "Pramlintide", SRL = "0", SUPPRESS = "Y", CVF = "4354")
I would like this to have been printed in table form.
When I simply use renderTable({table_name}) on any given one of the tables, the table prints in the main panel how I would like it to. However, when I use eventReactive, name that variable, and renderTable on that variable, that is when the list of table values prints instead. Any ideas?
library(shiny)
ui <- fluidPage(
titlePanel("RxNorm Diabetic Drug Mapping based on Epocrates Classes"),
sidebarLayout(
sidebarPanel(
checkboxGroupInput("drugs", "Drug Class", choices = list("ALPHA GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITORS" = agi, "AMYLIN MIMETICS" = pramlintide, "BIGUANIDES" = biguanides, "DOPAMINE AGONISTS" = bromocriptine, "DPP4 INHIBITORS" = dpp4, "GLP1 AGONISTS" = glp1, "INSULINS" = insulins, "MEGLITINIDES" = meglitinides, "SGLT2 INHIBITORS" = sglt2, "SULFONYLUREAS" = sulfonylureas, "THIAZOLIDINEDIONES" = thiazolidinediones)),
actionButton("button", "Retrieve Data")
),
mainPanel(
tableOutput("results")
)
)
)
server <- function(input, output) {
table_reactive <- eventReactive(input$button, {
input$drugs
})
output$results <- renderTable({
table_reactive()
})
}
shinyApp(ui = ui, server = server)

Answer 1

In your choices:
choices = list("ALPHA GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITORS" = agi, "AMYLIN MIMETICS" = pramlintide ...), it's not valid if agi and pramlintide ... are pointing to tables. choices values can only be string.
You shouldn't pass variable as values in checkboxGroupInput. Instead you should pass the table name as string.
To answer your questions:
Please see the demos below:
If your tables are saved as separate variables, you should use sym() and eval_tidy() in rlang package to convert string to varaible.
library(shiny)
library(rlang)
ui <- fluidPage(
fluidRow(
checkboxGroupInput(
inputId = "checkgroup",
label = "Select Table",
choices = list(iris = "iris", mtcars = "mtcars")
),
actionButton(
inputId = "confirm",
label = "Confirm Table(s)"
)
),
fluidRow(
tags$div(id = "tables")
)
)
server <- function(input, output, session) {
observeEvent(input$confirm,{
removeUI(selector = "#tables > *",multiple = TRUE)
req(length(input$checkgroup) > 0)
for(table_name in input$checkgroup){
table_id <- paste0("mytable",table_name)
insertUI(
selector = "#tables",
ui = dataTableOutput(table_id)
)
output[[table_id]] <- renderDataTable(eval_tidy(sym(table_name)))
}
})
}
shinyApp(ui, server)