R Tool

The R tool is a code editor for users of R, an open-source code base used for statistical and predictive analysis. Proficiency in R scripting is recommended before using this tool.

Gallery compatibility

This tool is on the Alteryx Analytics Gallery list of prohibited tools. Apply for an exemption to publish a workflow containing this tool to gallery.alteryx.com.

R in Designer

Designer reads in valid R script and passes the script through the tool. Output from the R tool matches R outputs.

R support

While Designer accepts custom R code, Alteryx does not provide support for it.

Alteryx uses [AlteryxFullUpdate], a global variable for the R script, for metainfo updates. Full metainfo updates occur when AlteryxFullUpdate = TRUE. This happens when the workflow is first opened and when the workflow is refreshed using F5.

AlteryxFullUpdate = FALSE during all other updates, such as a workflow being run or tool reconfiguration. To force full updates after modifying a workflow, select Run script when refreshed (F5). Update operations cannot be canceled once started.

Standard read and write functions cannot be used when AlteryxFullUpdate = TRUE. If functions such as read.Alteryx or write.Alteryx are in the script when AlteryxFullUpdate = TRUE, an error occurs.

Metainfo passed to outputs when AlteryxFullUpdate = FALSE may differ from metainfo generated when the workflow is run. This can cause errors to occur.

Configure the tool

The R tool accepts multiple inputs and labels them in order of connection as #1, #2, and so on. The tool outputs up to 5 data streams from its anchors, labeled 1 through 5. References in the code should follow the same format differences between inputs and outputs.

For the following descriptions, #1 refers to any input connection label and 5 refers to any output anchor.

The R tool outputs using the function write.Alteryx(dataVariableToWrite, 5).

Insert Code: A list of Designer-specific commands that can be injected into the R code editor. The commands are intended to be used with typical R commands. This list is not comprehensive.

R and interface tools

To access interface tools with the R tool, enter %Question.tool_name% where tool_name is the name of the interface tool, which can be found on the Annotation tab in the Configuration window