Compact multi-group color picker input

Build a compact Shiny input that assigns colors to a set of groups using a palette or manual hex pickers. The value returned to input[[inputId]] is a named character vector of hex colors keyed by group.

Usage

multiColorPicker(
  inputId,
  label = NULL,
  groups,
  palette_options = NULL,
  selected_palette = NULL,
  colors = NULL,
  width = NULL,
  show_text = TRUE,
  compact = FALSE,
  panel = TRUE
)

Arguments

inputId

Character. Shiny input id.

label

Optional label displayed above the control.

groups

Character or factor vector of group names.

palette_options

Named list of palettes (each a character vector of colors). Defaults to the palettes from default_palettes().

selected_palette

Optional name of the palette to preselect.

colors

Optional named vector of starting colors. Values are matched to groups by name when provided.

width

Optional CSS width for the container.

show_text

Logical. If TRUE, show editable hex text inputs beside the color pickers.

compact

Logical. If TRUE, renders a tighter layout with reduced spacing, smaller controls, and narrower palette selector.

panel

Logical. If FALSE, removes the surrounding panel/well styling (border, padding, background).

Value

A UI element that produces a named character vector of colors.

Details

A group's color swatch is a native <input type="color">, whose dialog reports a new value for every drag or click inside it. Rather than send each one - rebuilding a dependent plot dozens of times for a single color choice - the input reports once the dialog has closed, detected as the first pointer, key, or scroll event the page sees again (the dialog holds both while it is open) or the browser window regaining focus. Typing in a hex field is coalesced until the user pauses instead. One-shot actions - clicking a palette swatch, "Apply", "Reset", selecting another group, or committing a hex code with Enter or by clicking away - report immediately.

The widget reflows to its container: the palette selector shrinks and the buttons wrap below it when narrow, and long group names wrap rather than running under their controls, so it can be dropped into a sidebar or an input grid cell without controls escaping the panel.

Author

Jared Andrews

Examples

if (interactive()) {
    library(shiny)
    groups <- c("setosa", "virginica", "versicolor")

    ui <- fluidPage(
        multiColorPicker(
            "species_cols",
            "Species colors",
            groups = groups,
            selected_palette = "dittoColors"
        ),
        verbatimTextOutput("chosen")
    )

    server <- function(input, output, session) {
        output$chosen <- renderPrint(input$species_cols)
    }

    shinyApp(ui, server)
}