register_ctx_api_key: Register CTX API Key for ctxR

In ctxR: Utilities for Interacting with the 'CTX' APIs

Register CTX API Key for ctxR

Description

This page contains documentation tools related to enabling CTX API services in R.

Usage

showing_key()

ctxR_show_api_key()

ctxR_hide_api_key()

register_ctx_api_key(key, write = FALSE)

## S3 method for class 'ctx_credentials'
print(...)

ctx_key()

has_ctx_key()

Arguments

key	an API key
write	if TRUE, stores the secrets provided in the .Renviron file
...	a dumped formal argument to the generic print method

Details

To obtain an API key and enable services, go to https://www.epa.gov/comptox-tools/computational-toxicology-and-exposure-apis. This documentation shows you how to obtain an API key to allow access to the CTX APIs.

To tell ctxR about your API key, use register_ctx_api_key(), e.g. register_ctx_api_key(key = 'grbwigbwoginrowgbwibgdibdvinrginiwgo') (that's a fake key). This will set your API key for the current session, but if you restart R, you'll need to do it again. You can set it permanently by setting write = TRUEm see the examples. If you set it permanently it will be stored in a local file, and that will be accessed by ctxR persistently across sessions.

Users should be aware that the API key, a string of garbled characters/numbers/symbols, is a PRIVATE key - it uniquely identifies and authenticates you to CTX's services. If anyone gets your API key, they can use it to masquerade as you to CTX. To mitigate against users inadvertently sharing their keys, by default ctxR never displays a user's key in messages displayed to the console.

Users should be aware that ctxR has no mechanism with which to safeguard the private key once registered with R. That is to say, once you register your API key, any R function will have access to it. As a consequence, ctxR will not know if another function, potentially from a compromised package, accesses the key and uploads it to a third party. For this reason, when using ctxR we recommend a heightened sense of security and self-awareness: only use trusted packages, do not save the API keys in script files, etc.

Value

• showing_key returns a Boolean.

• ctxR_show_api_key() has no return value but has the side effect of changing the display settings of the API key.

• ctxR_hide_api_key() has no return value but has the side effect of changing the display settings of the API key.

• register_ctx_api_key() has no return value but has the side effect of storing the API key.

• print.ctx_credentials() has no return value and is an S3 method for printing the ctx_credentials class.

• ctx_key() returns a string, either the stored API key or NA_character_.

• has_ctx_key() returns a Boolean.

Examples

# Check if API key is showing
showing_key()


# Toggle API key to display
ctxR_show_api_key()


# Toggle API key to be hidden
ctxR_hide_api_key()


# Register key for this session
register_ctx_api_key(key = 'YOUR API KEY')
# Register key over sessions
register_ctx_api_key(key = 'YOUR API KEY', write = TRUE)


# Print function for ctx_credentials class
print.ctx_credentials()


# Display ctx API key
ctx_key()


# Check whether API key is registered
has_ctx_key()

ctxR documentation built on April 12, 2025, 2:07 a.m.