I created the {deckhand} R package when working for @co-analysis to ease the production of data-heavy reports/slide decks in our division, and adapts the {pagedown} R Markdown template to work with CSS grid layout specifications.

{deckhand} was specifically designed for analysts in the Cabinet Office and therefore has built into it some particular defaults regarding layouts, colours and fonts that align to the Cabinet Office's corporate identity guidelines.

Since its release people working in other institutions have created their own forks/clones to adapt the package to their needs. I no longer work for @co-analysis and they have limited resource to support further development of the package. Thus {deckhand2} is intended as a successor to the {deckhand} that provides a more generalised approach, and builds on lessons from others having made use of the package. In due course support for Quarto is expected, as and when a {pagedown} equivalent is implemented.

This issue will be used to discuss the general development of the package, with specific issues being created for individual topics/actions.

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Current development priorities (as at 2022-10-08):

• #2
• #3
• #4

Users at MOJ have implemented specific classes for modifying font-size in their fork of {deckhand}.

They are also using only the "custom layout" CSS classes for specifying grid layouts/page structures. While deckhand was developed with a large number of built-in layouts there are often occasions where a page layout needed custom shapes. Users also reported that it leads to a clearer understanding between the CSS classes and the resulting page layout.

These real-world practices suggest it would be better to separate page layout classes from styling and typography classes.

Rather than directly fork and revise the code in {deckhand} will be reviewed and refactored as {deckhand2} is developed. The basic fundamentals of deckhand that definitely need porting are:

• Base page layout (A4 landscape, margins, etc)
• Base grid (12 x 12 with spacing)
• {ggplot2} SVG rendering
• {gt} style stripping

{deckhand} was developed for analysts at the Cabinet Office and therefore has that organisation's corporate colours, logos and header/footer material built in.

A method for easily setting this information, and porting it between projects, is therefore needed.

Suggest investigating a .yaml file that can be used to generate relevant CSS/rendering parameters.