---
title: "Recommended folder structure"
output: rmarkdown::html_vignette
vignette: >
  %\VignetteIndexEntry{Recommended folder structure}
  %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown}
  %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8}
---

## For a simple R project

`checklist` assumes you have some main folder for your project.
Within that main folder you create the `checklist` project which should contain all R related files (scripts and data).
Place all non R related files in other folders under the main folder.

The `checklist` project has a mandatory folder `source` where you place all the R and Rmarkdown files.
The other folders are optional.
The `data` folder holds all the data files for the analysis.
The `output` folder holds the rendered files from the analysis.
The `media` folder holds the images you want to incorporate in the Rmarkdown files.
The `inst` folder stores some `checklist` specific data.

While you can add other folders the root of your `checklist` project, we recommend to stick with the default folders.
Having a non-standard folder name results in a warning when running `check_folder()`.

In case you want to use version control (strongly recommended), use the root of the R project as the root of the version control project.

```
─┬─ main_folder
 ├─── folder_a
 ├─── folder_b
 └─┬─ checklist_project_name
   ├─── data
   ├─── inst
   ├─── media
   ├─── output
   └─── source
```

## A more complex project

We advise to use subfolders with `source`, `data` and / or `media` when the project is more complex.
You are free to create a relevant folder structure with these folders.
E.g. `source/import` for scripts to import data; `source/analysis` for scripts to run the analysis and `source/report` for the `bookdown` report.

```
─┬─ main_folder
 ├─── folder_a
 ├─── folder_b
 └─┬─ r_project_name
   ├─┬─ data
   │ ├─── raw
   │ ├─── intermediate
   │ └─── processed
   ├─── inst
   ├─┬─ media
   │ ├─── collaborators
   │ └─── report
   ├─── output
   └─┬─ source
     ├─── import
     ├─── analysis
     └─── report
```

## A project with several reports with different data and media

You can opt to use report specific `data` and/or `media` folders instead of common `data` and/or `media` folders.
However, if you choose to have a report specific `data` folder, you no longer can have a common `data` folder.
The same goes for a report specific `media` folder.
Hence a `data` folder at the project root implies that the user can find all data in that folder.
No `data` folder at the project root implies that the user needs to look for the data in the source folder of the report.

```
─┬─ main_folder
 ├─── folder_a
 ├─── folder_b
 └─┬─ r_project_name
   ├─── inst
   ├─── output
   └─┬─ source
     ├─┬─ report_a
     │ ├─── data
     │ └─── media
     └─┬─ report_b
       ├─── data
       └─── media
```