Inherit Params from separate YML file

[GScottAlder]

NOTE:
I am using the quarto R package version 1.0 and quarto version 0.9.80
I found the version by running this code: as.numeric_version(system2(quarto:::find_quarto(), "--version", stdout = TRUE))
Due to some IT restrictions I have not updated quarto to the most recent release, although I may be able to in the future.

I have multiple *.qmd files that I want to be parameterized. I want them to share parameters and default values by inheriting from a separate YML file.

For example, I have a file named test.qmd with this YML header:

---
title: "Test Quarto Report"
metadata-files:
  - _params.yml
---

Then, in _params.yml I have

---
params:
  p1: 1.0
  p2: "A"
  p3: TRUE
---

However, this does not work. When I run quarto render, I get an error for "object 'params' not found"

Is there anything I can do to inherit params? Is this not possible in quarto 0.9.80? If so, is it possible in a later release?

Thanks,
Scott

[cscheid]

That version is a prerelease that's almost a year old now, and quarto is itself just over two years old. You really should upgrade to one of the stable versions (ideally, 1.2.269, the latest release).

[cscheid]

To expand on what @mcanouil is saying, multiple front-matter entries on a file are allowed by Pandoc; that should not be the cause of the feature not working. (It's possible that something else is causing the problem, still. But multiple front-matter entries are not it)

[GScottAlder]

So the following should be a valid *.qmd file?

---
title: "test"
format: html
---

---
params:
  p1: 1.0
  p2: "A"
  p3: TRUE
---

# Test 

` ` ` {r}
print(params$p1)
print(params$p2)
print(params$p3)
` ` `

When I try to render, I get the error "Error in print(params$p1) : object 'params' not found"

[mcanouil]

Yes.

This is the same

---
title: "Test"
format: html
---

---
author: me
---

as

---
title: "Test"
format: html
author: me
---

The above works, but for some reason, params is not recognised thus is not usable inside code cells.

@cscheid Might be best to open a new issue with the behaviour below unless you think it's somehow related. What's your thought?

Reproducible example:

1. Working as intended with the meta shortcode.

   ---
   title: "Test"
   format: html
   ---
   
   ---
   params:
     p1: 1.0
   ---
   
   {{< meta params.p1 >}}
   

2. Not working as intended within code cells.

   ---
   title: "Test"
   format: html
   ---
   
   ---
   params:
     p1: 1.0
   ---
   
   ```{r}
   params[["p1"]]
   ```
   

---

@GScottAlder Please don't insert spaces, use more backticks to encapsulate code with code cells.
For example, I used five backticks to show you what you should write when including code cells.

````
---
title: "Test"
format: html
---

{{< include _params.qmd >}}

# Test

```{r}
print(params$p1)
print(params$p2)
print(params$p3)
```
````

[msberends]

This does not answer the question - it focuses on params, while metadata-files can/should be used to inherit other properties, such as author. I can't seem to run R code that is inherited from the YAML file, and I believe that is in essence what this OP is also asking for.

[mcanouil]

Please open a new question, in this case because the main question was about an outdated version of Quarto and as you can easily see, no answer was marked as "the answer".
Also, most of the thread addressed another question.

So yes it does not answer the question but nobody said it did.

I am closing this thread as clearly outdated.