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Translating DataTables.net Config to R

DT2 Team

2026-04-29

The 1:1 Mapping Principle

DT2’s options argument maps directly to the DataTables JavaScript configuration object. An R named list becomes a JS object; R vectors become JS arrays. This means you can translate any example from datatables.net directly to R.

Translation Rules

JavaScript R
{ key: value } list(key = value)
[1, 2, 3] c(1, 2, 3) or list(1, 2, 3)
true / false TRUE / FALSE
null NULL
"string" "string"
function(d) { ... } htmlwidgets::JS("function(d) { ... }")

Example: JS to R

JavaScript (from datatables.net):

$('#myTable').DataTable({
  pageLength: 25,
  ordering: true,
  language: {
    search: "Filter:",
    lengthMenu: "Show _MENU_ entries"
  },
  columnDefs: [
    { targets: 0, visible: false },
    { targets: [1, 2], className: "text-center" }
  ]
});

R (with DT2):

dt2(iris, options = list(
  pageLength = 25,
  ordering   = TRUE,
  language   = list(
    search     = "Filter:",
    lengthMenu = "Show _MENU_ entries"
  ),
  columnDefs = list(
    list(targets = 0, visible = FALSE),
    list(targets = c(1, 2), className = "text-center")
  )
))

Layout — The Complete Guide

DataTables 2 replaced the old dom string with layout, a structured way to position elements around the table. This is the most important change from DataTables 1.x.

Position grid

+------------------+------------------+
| topStart         | topEnd           |
+------------------+------------------+
| top (full width)                    |
+------------------+------------------+
| top2Start        | top2End          |
+------------------+------------------+
|               TABLE                 |
+------------------+------------------+
| bottomStart      | bottomEnd        |
+------------------+------------------+
| bottom (full width)                 |
+------------------+------------------+
| bottom2Start     | bottom2End       |
+------------------+------------------+

Available elements

Element Description
"search" Search/filter input
"paging" Page navigation
"info" “Showing X to Y of Z entries”
"pageLength" Entries per page selector
"buttons" Buttons toolbar (requires Buttons extension)
"searchBuilder" SearchBuilder (requires extension)
"searchPanes" SearchPanes (requires extension)
NULL Remove whatever would normally be in that position

Default layout

When you don’t specify layout, DataTables uses:

layout = list(
  topStart    = "pageLength",
  topEnd      = "search",
  bottomStart = "info",
  bottomEnd   = "paging"
)

Rearranging

Move search to the left, page length to the right:

dt2(iris, options = list(
  pageLength = 5,
  layout = list(
    topStart = list(search = list(placeholder = "Filter...")),
    topEnd   = "pageLength"
  )
))

Removing elements

Set any position to NULL:

dt2(iris, options = list(
  pageLength = 10,
  searching = FALSE,
  layout = list(
    topStart  = NULL,      # no page length selector
    topEnd    = NULL,      # no search box
    bottomStart = NULL,    # no info
    bottomEnd = "paging"   # only pagination
  )
))

Multiple elements in one position

Wrap them in a list:

dt2(iris, options = list(
  pageLength = 5,
  layout = list(
    topStart  = list("pageLength", "info"),
    topEnd    = "search",
    bottomEnd = "paging"
  )
))

Full-width rows

Use top, top2, bottom, bottom2 for full-width rows:

dt2(iris, options = list(
  layout = list(
    top       = "search",       # full-width search bar
    topStart  = "pageLength",
    topEnd    = "buttons",
    bottomEnd = "paging"
  )
))

Buttons in layout

Place the Buttons toolbar in any position:

# Buttons on the left
dt2(iris[1:15, ], options = list(
  buttons = list("copy", "csv", "excel"),
  layout = list(
    topStart  = "buttons",
    topEnd    = "search",
    bottomEnd = "paging"
  )
))
# Buttons on the bottom
dt2(iris[1:15, ], options = list(
  buttons = list("copy", "csv"),
  layout = list(
    topEnd      = "search",
    bottomStart = "buttons",
    bottomEnd   = "paging"
  )
))

Complete custom layout

dt2(mtcars[1:20, ], options = list(
  pageLength = 10,
  buttons = list(
    list(extend = "collection", text = "Export \u25BC",
         buttons = list("copyHtml5", "csvHtml5", "excelHtml5")),
    list(extend = "colvis", text = "Columns")
  ),
  layout = list(
    topStart    = "buttons",
    topEnd      = list(search = list(placeholder = "Filter...")),
    bottomStart = "info",
    bottomEnd   = "paging"
  )
))

Migrating from dom

If you’re coming from DataTables 1.x or the DT package:

Old dom New layout
"frtip" (default — no need to specify)
"tp" list(topStart = NULL, topEnd = NULL, bottomStart = NULL, bottomEnd = "paging")
"Bfrtip" list(topStart = "buttons")
"lfBrtip" list(topStart = list("pageLength", "buttons"))

DT2 will automatically convert dom strings containing "B" to the layout equivalent, but using layout directly is recommended.

Using htmlwidgets::JS() for Callbacks

Whenever DataTables expects a JavaScript function, wrap it in htmlwidgets::JS():

dt2(iris, options = list(
  pageLength = 5,
  createdRow = htmlwidgets::JS("
    function(row, data, dataIndex) {
      if (data['Sepal.Length'] > 5) {
        row.style.backgroundColor = '#fff3cd';
      }
    }
  ")
))

Common Callbacks

DataTables Option Purpose
createdRow Modify each row after creation
initComplete Run code after table initializes
drawCallback Run code after each draw
headerCallback Modify the header after draw
footerCallback Modify the footer after draw
columns.render Custom cell rendering

Column Renderers

Built-in DataTables Renderers

DataTables v2 provides built-in renderers accessible via DataTable.render.*:

dt2(mtcars[1:10, c("mpg", "hp", "wt")], options = list(
  columnDefs = list(
    list(
      targets = 0,
      render = htmlwidgets::JS("DataTable.render.number('.', ',', 1, '', ' mpg')")
    ),
    list(
      targets = 1,
      render = htmlwidgets::JS("DataTable.render.number(',', '.', 0, '', ' hp')")
    )
  )
))

Custom Render Function

progress_render <- htmlwidgets::JS("
  function(data, type, row, meta) {
    if (type !== 'display') return data;
    var pct = Math.min(100, Math.max(0, parseFloat(data)));
    var color = pct > 70 ? '#198754' : (pct > 40 ? '#ffc107' : '#dc3545');
    return '<div style=\"background:#eee;border-radius:4px;overflow:hidden\">' +
           '<div style=\"width:' + pct + '%;background:' + color +
           ';height:14px;border-radius:4px\"></div></div>';
  }
")

df <- data.frame(
  task     = c("Design", "Backend", "Testing", "Deploy"),
  progress = c(85, 60, 30, 95)
)

dt2(df, options = list(
  pageLength = 10,
  columnDefs = list(
    list(targets = 1, render = progress_render)
  )
))

Internationalization (i18n)

Inline language object

dt2(iris[1:10, ], options = list(
  pageLength = 5,
  language = list(
    search       = "Buscar:",
    lengthMenu   = "Mostrar _MENU_ registros",
    info         = "Mostrando _START_ a _END_ de _TOTAL_",
    paginate     = list(
      first    = "<<",
      previous = "<",
      `next`   = ">",
      last     = ">>"
    ),
    zeroRecords  = "Nenhum registro encontrado",
    emptyTable   = "Tabela vazia"
  )
))

CDN language URL

DataTables provides ready-made translation files for 70+ languages:

dt2(iris, options = list(
  language = list(
    url = "https://cdn.datatables.net/plug-ins/2.3.4/i18n/pt-BR.json"
  )
))

Debugging

Open the browser console and look for [DT2] log messages. Access the DataTables API object directly via JavaScript:

// In browser console:
var el = document.getElementById('my_table');
var api = el._dt2;
api.page.info();      // pagination state
api.order();          // current ordering
api.search();         // current search term
api.rows().data();    // all row data

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