Getting Started

Overview

bs4Dashkit extends {bs4Dash} by standardizing branding, sidebar behavior, navbar utilities, and theme customization. Every feature is optional — you can adopt as little or as much as you need.

The package is organised around four areas:

1. Brand and sidebar — dash_titles() + use_bs4Dashkit_core()
2. Theming — use_dash_theme() and named presets
3. Navbar — dash_nav_title(), refresh / help / logout buttons, user menu
4. Footer — dash_footer() with flexible logo and text positioning

Minimal example

The smallest possible bs4Dashkit app requires exactly two calls beyond normal bs4Dash boilerplate:

library(shiny)
library(bs4Dash)
library(bs4Dashkit)

# 1. Build the brand object
ttl <- dash_titles("My Dashboard")

ui <- bs4DashPage(
  title   = ttl$app_name,           # browser tab title
  header  = bs4DashNavbar(title = ttl$brand),
  sidebar = bs4DashSidebar(),
  body    = bs4DashBody(
    use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl)        # 2. always the first call in body and called once
  )
)

server <- function(input, output, session) {}
shinyApp(ui, server)

dash_titles() accepts a single string and sensible defaults handle everything else. use_bs4Dashkit_core() loads the CSS dependencies, activates the sidebar brand mode, and applies the default theme.

dash_titles() — the brand object

dash_titles() is the single entry point for all brand-related configuration. It returns a named list with three slots:

ttl <- dash_titles(
  brand_text     = "OLTCR Dashboards",
  icon           = "project-diagram",  # Font Awesome icon name
  weight         = 700,
  effect         = "shimmer",          # "none" | "glow" | "shimmer" | "emboss"
  glow_color     = "#2f6f8f",
  size           = "20px",
  collapsed      = "icon-text",
  expanded       = "icon-text",
  collapsed_text = "DT",               # shown when sidebar is collapsed
  expanded_text  = "OLTCR Dashboards",
  brand_divider  = TRUE
)

Alternatively, use an image instead of a Font Awesome icon:

ttl <- dash_titles(
  brand_text = "My App",
  icon_img   = "logo.png",        # overrides `icon`
  icon_shape = "rounded"              # "circle" | "rounded" | "square"
)

NB: Place logo.png in your app’s www/ directory.

use_bs4Dashkit_core() — the core entry point

Always place this as the first element inside bs4DashBody(). It:

• Injects the package CSS and JavaScript
• Activates the sidebar brand mode logic
• Applies a theme preset (default: "professional")

body = bs4DashBody(
  use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl, preset = "professional"),
  # ... rest of your content
)

Available presets:

use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl, preset = "professional")  # cool blue-grey (default)
use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl, preset = "vibrant")        # bolder accent colours
use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl, preset = "minimal")        # flat, low-contrast

Sidebar modes

The sidebar brand area can show different content depending on whether the sidebar is collapsed or expanded. Set these in dash_titles():

ttl <- dash_titles(
  brand_text     = "OLTCR Dashboards",
  icon           = "chart-line",
  collapsed      = "icon-only",       # just the icon when narrow
  expanded       = "icon-text",       # icon + label when wide
  collapsed_text = "OL",
  expanded_text  = "OLTCR Dashboards"
)

Add hover-expand behavior (sidebar expands on mouse-over even when collapsed):

body = bs4DashBody(
  use_bs4Dashkit_core(
    ttl,
    preset = "professional",
    topbar_h = 56,
    collapsed_w = 4.2,
    expanded_w = 250
  )
  # ...
)

NB: use_dash_sidebar_behavior() is included by use_bs4Dashkit_core(). Call it directly only if you are not using the core helper.

Hover-expand behavior is included by use_bs4Dashkit_core(). Configure it via topbar_h, collapsed_w, and expanded_w. Call use_dash_sidebar_behavior() directly only when not using the core helper.

Global options

Set package-level defaults once (e.g. in your global.R) so every app in a project inherits them:

options(
  bs4Dashkit.sidebar.collapsed = "icon-only",
  bs4Dashkit.sidebar.expanded  = "icon-text",
  bs4Dashkit.brand_divider     = TRUE,
  bs4Dashkit.accent            = "#2f6f8f",
  bs4Dashkit.theme_preset      = "professional"
)

If preset = NULL, use_bs4Dashkit_core() uses the package option bs4Dashkit.theme_preset (if set). If accent = NULL, it uses bs4Dashkit.accent.

use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl, preset = NULL) # uses option if set
use_bs4Dashkit_core(ttl, accent = NULL) # uses option if set

dash_titles() reads these options when the corresponding arguments are NULL, so you can omit them from individual calls.

Troubleshooting

• “I see 404s for dash-theme.css” -> call use_bs4Dashkit_core() or use_bs4Dashkit() first (resource path)

• “My icon doesn’t show” -> check Font Awesome name / include icon_img

• “Hover expand doesn’t work on mobile”-> expected (touch devices)

• “Sidebar labels disappear on hover” -> indicates CSS overrides; use shipped dash-sidebar.css

What next?

• Branding and sidebar modes — full reference for all dash_titles() arguments
• Theming and presets — CSS variable overrides and custom presets
• Navigation utilities — refresh, help, logout, user menu, and dash_nav_title()
• Footer — all footer layout combinations
• Complete example app — a single app that exercises every feature