URL Parameters

dashboardr can sync filter state to URL query parameters, enabling shareable links that restore a specific view of the dashboard.

library(dashboardr)

Enabling URL Parameters

Add enable_url_params() to your dashboard to activate URL deep linking. This requires enable_inputs() to also be active (inputs must exist for URL parameters to control).

The simplest way is to set url_params = TRUE on enable_inputs():

page <- create_page("Analysis") %>%
  add_input(
    input_id = "region",
    type = "select_multiple",
    label = "Region",
    filter_var = "region",
    options = c("North", "South", "East", "West")
  ) %>%
  add_viz(
    type = "bar",
    x_var = "category",
    cross_tab_filter_vars = "region"
  )

When enable_url_params() is included, the dashboard will:

1. Read filter state from the URL on page load
2. Update the URL as the user changes filters
3. Support tab navigation via URL hash fragments

URL Format

Filter values are stored as query parameters using the filter variable name:

dashboard.html?region=North,South&year=2020

• Multiple selected values are comma-separated
• Parameter names match the filter_var values from your inputs
• Tab state is stored in the URL hash: dashboard.html#TabName

Sharing Pre-Filtered Links

You can construct URLs manually to share a specific dashboard view:

https://example.com/dashboard.html?region=North&year=2020,2021#Demographics

This link would:

• Set the region filter to “North”
• Set the year filter to “2020” and “2021”
• Navigate to the “Demographics” tab

Nested Tabs

For dashboards with nested tabgroups, use / to specify the tab path:

dashboard.html#Demographics/Age

This activates the “Demographics” parent tab and then the “Age” child tab.

Example Dashboard

data <- data.frame(
  region = rep(c("North", "South", "East", "West"), each = 25),
  year = rep(2018:2022, 20),
  value = round(rnorm(100, 50, 15))
)

dashboard <- create_dashboard(
  title = "Regional Analysis",
  data = data
) %>%
  add_page(
    create_page("Overview") %>%
      add_input(
        input_id = "region_filter",
        type = "select_multiple",
        label = "Region",
        filter_var = "region",
        options = c("North", "South", "East", "West")
      ) %>%
      add_input(
        input_id = "year_filter",
        type = "select_multiple",
        label = "Year",
        filter_var = "year",
        options = as.character(2018:2022)
      ) %>%
      add_viz(
        type = "bar",
        x_var = "region",
        title = "By Region",
        cross_tab_filter_vars = c("region", "year")
      )
  )

After generating this dashboard, users can share links like:

docs/index.html?region=North,South&year=2020