Shiny Express API
This page outlines Shiny Express’s API reference.
Compared to Shiny Core, Shiny Express is a simpler way to learn and create basic apps, but it is less flexible and powerful.
For an introduction to Shiny, see the tutorial.
Function reference
Input components
Gather user input.
express.ui.input_select | Create a select list that can be used to choose a single or multiple items from a list of values. |
express.ui.input_selectize | Create a select list that can be used to choose a single or multiple items from a list of values. |
express.ui.input_slider | Constructs a slider widget to select a number, date, or date-time from a range. |
express.ui.input_dark_mode | Creates a dark mode switch input that toggles the app between dark and light modes. |
express.ui.input_date | Creates a text input which, when clicked on, brings up a calendar that the user can click on to select dates. |
express.ui.input_date_range | Creates a pair of text inputs which, when clicked on, bring up calendars that the user can click on to select dates. |
express.ui.input_checkbox | Create a checkbox that can be used to specify logical values. |
express.ui.input_checkbox_group | Create a group of checkboxes that can be used to toggle multiple choices independently. |
express.ui.input_switch | Create a switch that can be used to specify logical values. Similar to input_checkbox, but implies to the user that the change will take effect immediately. |
express.ui.input_radio_buttons | Create a set of radio buttons used to select an item from a list. |
express.ui.input_numeric | Create an input control for entry of numeric values. |
express.ui.input_text | Create an input control for entry of text values. |
express.ui.input_text_area | Create a textarea input control for entry of unstructured text values. |
express.ui.input_password | Create an password control for entry of passwords. |
express.ui.input_action_button | Creates an action button whose value is initially zero, and increments by one each time it is pressed. |
express.ui.input_action_link | Creates a link whose value is initially zero, and increments by one each time it is pressed. |
express.ui.input_task_button | Creates a button for launching longer-running operations. |
Output components
Reactively render output.
express.render.plot | Reactively render a plot object as an HTML image. |
express.render.table | Reactively render a pandas DataFrame object (or similar) as a basic HTML table. |
express.render.DataTable | Holds the data and options for a data_frame output, for a spreadsheet-like view. |
express.render.data_frame | Decorator for a function that returns a pandas or polars DataFrame object to render as an interactive table or grid. Features fast virtualized scrolling, sorting, filtering, and row selection (single or multiple). |
express.render.DataGrid | Holds the data and options for a data_frame output, for a spreadsheet-like view. |
express.render.text | Reactively render text. |
express.render.ui | Reactively render HTML content. |
express.render.download | Decorator to register a function to handle a download. |
express.render.image | Reactively render a image file as an HTML image. |
express.render.express | Reactively render HTML content with output captured as in Shiny Express |
Layouts and other UI tools
Tools for creating, arranging, and styling UI components.
express.ui.page_opts | Set page-level options for the current app. |
express.ui.sidebar | Context manager for sidebar element |
express.ui.layout_columns | Context manager for responsive, column-based grid layouts, based on a 12-column grid. |
express.ui.layout_column_wrap | Context manager for a grid-like, column-first layout |
express.ui.card | Context manager for Bootstrap card component |
express.ui.card_header | Context manager for a card header container |
express.ui.card_footer | Context manager for a card footer container |
express.ui.value_box | Context manager for a value box |
express.ui.value_box_theme | Value box theme |
express.ui.popover | Context manager for a popover |
express.ui.tooltip | Context manager for a tooltip |
express.ui.accordion | Context manager for a vertically collapsing accordion. |
express.ui.accordion_panel | Context manager for single accordion panel. |
express.ui.layout_sidebar | Context manager for sidebar layout |
Chat interface
Build a chatbot interface
express.ui.Chat | Create a chat interface. |
Reactive programming
Create reactive functions and dependencies.
reactive.calc | Mark a function as a reactive calculation. |
reactive.effect | Mark a function as a reactive side effect. |
reactive.value | Create a reactive value. |
reactive.event | Mark a function to react only when an “event” occurs. |
reactive.isolate | Create a non-reactive scope within a reactive scope. |
reactive.invalidate_later | Scheduled Invalidation |
reactive.extended_task | Decorator to mark an async function as a slow computation. This will cause the function to be run in a background asyncio task, and the results will be available via the ExtendedTask object returned by the decorator. |
reactive.flush | Run any pending invalidations (i.e., flush the reactive environment). |
reactive.poll | Create a reactive polling object. |
reactive.file_reader | Create a reactive file reader. |
reactive.lock | A lock that should be held whenever manipulating the reactive graph. |
req | Throw a silent exception for falsy values. |
Reusable Express code
Create reusable Express code.
express.ui.hold | Prevent the display of UI elements in various ways. |
express.expressify | Decorate a function so that output is captured as in Shiny Express |
Update inputs
Programmatically update input values.
express.ui.update_select | Change the value of a select input on the client. |
express.ui.update_selectize | Change the value of a selectize.js powered input on the client. |
express.ui.update_slider | Change the value of a slider input on the client. |
express.ui.update_dark_mode | |
express.ui.update_date | Change the value of a date input on the client. |
express.ui.update_date_range | Change the start and end values of a date range input on the client. |
express.ui.update_checkbox | Change the value of a checkbox input on the client. |
express.ui.update_checkbox_group | Change the value of a checkbox group input on the client. |
express.ui.update_switch | Change the value of a switch input on the client. |
express.ui.update_radio_buttons | Change the value of a radio input on the client. |
express.ui.update_numeric | Change the value of a number input on the client. |
express.ui.update_text | Change the value of a text input on the client. |
express.ui.update_text_area | Change the value of a text input on the client. |
express.ui.update_navs | Change the value of a navs container on the client. |
express.ui.update_action_button | Change the label and/or icon of an action button on the client. |
express.ui.update_action_link | Change the label and/or icon of an action link on the client. |
express.ui.update_task_button | Change the state of a task button on the client. |
Update UI Layouts
express.ui.update_sidebar | Update a sidebar’s visibility. |
express.ui.update_tooltip | Update tooltip contents. |
express.ui.update_popover | Update the contents or title of a popover. |
express.ui.update_accordion | Dynamically set accordions’ states. |
express.ui.update_accordion_panel | Dynamically update accordion panel contents. |
express.ui.insert_accordion_panel | Insert an accordion_panel. |
express.ui.remove_accordion_panel | Remove an accordion_panel. |
Display messages
Display messages to the user.
express.ui.help_text | Create a help text element |
express.ui.notification_show | Show a notification to the user. |
express.ui.notification_remove | Remove a notification. |
express.ui.modal | Creates the UI for a modal dialog, using Bootstrap’s modal class. |
express.ui.modal_show | Show a modal dialog. |
express.ui.modal_remove | Remove a modal dialog box. |
express.ui.modal_button | Creates a button that will dismiss a modal. |
express.ui.Progress | Initialize a progress bar. |
Modules
express.module | Create a Shiny module using Shiny Express syntax |
UI panels
Visually group together a section of UI components.
express.ui.panel_absolute | Context manager for a panel of absolutely positioned content. |
express.ui.panel_fixed | Context manager for a panel of absolutely positioned content. |
express.ui.panel_title | Create title(s) for the application. |
express.ui.panel_well | Context manager for a well panel |
Uploads & downloads
Allow users to upload and download files.
express.ui.input_file | Create a file upload control that can be used to upload one or more files. |
express.render.download | Decorator to register a function to handle a download. |
Dynamic UI
Dynamically show/hide UI elements.
express.ui.panel_conditional | Context manager for a conditional panel |
express.ui.insert_ui | Insert UI objects. |
express.ui.remove_ui | Remove UI objects. |
UI as HTML
Tools for creating HTML/CSS/JS
express.ui.Theme | Create a custom Shiny theme. |
express.ui.markdown | Convert a string of markdown to ui.HTML . |
express.ui.include_css | Include a CSS file. |
express.ui.include_js | Include a JavaScript file. |
express.ui.HTML | Mark a string as raw HTML. This will prevent the string from being escaped when rendered inside an HTML tag. |
express.ui.tags | Functions for creating HTML tags. |
express.ui.TagList | Create an HTML tag list (i.e., a fragment of HTML) |
express.ui.busy_indicators.use | Enable/disable busy indication |
express.ui.busy_indicators.options | Customize spinning busy indicators. |
Application-level settings
express.app_opts | Set App-level options in Shiny Express |
Express developer tooling
express.is_express_app | Detect whether an app file is a Shiny express app |
express.wrap_express_app | Wrap a Shiny Express mode app into a Shiny App object. |