How do I include arbitrary text with zero processing in Quarto?

[harrelfe]

Description

I have searched without success for a method to include arbitrary text in a Quarto document such that it is guaranteed not to be processed in any way. This text may, for example, include chunk headers set off with 3 backticks, triple colon divs, R code, etc. The text should not have to have any special characters escaped. This is the closest I've come but it's not elegant. I've tried setting off the block of text with 4 backticks but have not always been successful with that. Any ideas welcomed.

[mcanouil]

Do you have an example of input/output?
Does the solution you are looking for has to be through R?

[harrelfe]

Yes using R but happy to use any Quarto syntax. Here is an example that almost worked but see the problem with unwanted expansion of commands in a .dot file.

````
![Example graphviz chart with a caption](makedot.svg){#fig-rformat-makedot2}

or

::: {.figure #fig-rformat-makedot3}
```{dot}
//| file: makedot.dot.   ===> AT THIS POINT dot COMMANDS in makedot.dot APPEARED BELOW
```

Example graphviz chart with a caption
:::

```

````

My solution is below but it's not elegant.

```{r echo=FALSE,result='asis'}
cat("
![Example graphviz chart with a caption](makedot.svg){#fig-rformat-makedot2}

or

::: {.figure #fig-rformat-makedot3}
\`\`\`{dot}
//| file: makedot.dot
\`\`\`

Example graphviz chart with a caption
:::

")
```

[mcanouil]

Is there a reason you are using ```{dot} which means evaluate the code rather than ```dot?
Knitr/Quarto will see the dot code cell and try to evaluate it if possible.

If you need the brackets to appear but don't want the code cell to be evaluated, use the double brackets escaping syntax: ```{{dot}}.

You should not use R inline syntax which is knitr specific. the recommended approach is YAML, meaning nothing but the language should be between the brackets.

```{r echo=FALSE,result='asis'}

Should be

```{r}
#| echo: false
#| result: asis

[harrelfe]

Double braces did the trick. Thanks! The only minor problem that I sometimes have is inconsistent need for empty lines surrounding the four backtick lines to make it render properly. And sometimes when I put empty lines around that verbatim signal line I get extra blank lines in the rendered output.

[mcanouil]

And sometimes when I put empty lines around that verbatim signal line I get extra blank lines in the rendered output.

You mean in LaTeX? I know that for equations, if you add empty lines around display math equations you get hard breaks in LaTeX but not in the other formats.

More generally, in markdown a general linter rule is to have empty lines around: list, code blocks/cells, headers, divs.
The number of backticks should not matter.

[harrelfe]

Thanks. This is for html.

[mcanouil]

If you have an example, I would love to see it to understand what is happening.
So far I have not seen any issues.