questions on knit2pdf (output only allows ".tex" file extension, can't produce to different folder, no clean arg)

[shrektan]

Hi,

I've been using knitr::knit2pdf() for years but there're some questions on designing that I don't quite understand since the very beginning:

1. The output argument must be with ".tex" file extension. It just produces a pdf file with the same name. Since the name is knit2pdf(), shouldn't it allow a ".pdf" file extension?
2. There's no way of removing the "tex" and "log" files, automatically.
3. The value provided to the output argument must be in the same folder of the Rnw file. Why can't it allow generating the output into another folder?

Is it because of historical reasons or am I using the wrong function?

[yihui]

1. The output argument is passed to knit(), which is why the file extension needs to be .tex instead of .pdf, but you are right that this is counterintuitive, and .pdf should be allowed.
2. This function should have a clean argument.
3. Path issues are usually quite complicated. The main problem is when the .tex file uses external files such as plots. Then we need to make sure the working directory for LaTeX is correct when compiling the document. For example, for knit2pdf('input.Rnw', output = 'another/dir/output.tex'), we have to make sure 1) the plots are generated to the correct dir, 2) the \includegraphics{} commands use the correct relative paths, and 3) LaTeX compiles the .tex file in the correct working directory, or specify the correct -output-directory argument to LaTeX (rstudio/tinytex@66a4e52).

1 and 2 are relatively easy to solve. For 3, the easiest solution might be generating the .pdf in the same directory as .Rnw first, and then move it to the desired directory. However, if the user doesn't have write permission of the directory of the .Rnw document, this solution won't work...

[shrektan]

I think moving the pdf files to the desired destination is good enough and the most reliable way. If the user doesn't have the write permission, it shouldn't work any way.

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