gisco_set_cache_dir: Set your 'giscoR' cache dir

In giscoR: Download Map Data from GISCO API - Eurostat

Set your giscoR cache dir

Description

This function will store your cache_dir path on your local machine and would load it for future sessions. Type Sys.getenv("GISCO_CACHE_DIR") to find your cached path or use gisco_detect_cache_dir().

Usage

gisco_set_cache_dir(
  cache_dir,
  overwrite = FALSE,
  install = FALSE,
  verbose = TRUE
)

gisco_detect_cache_dir()

Arguments

cache_dir	A path to a cache directory. On missing value the function would store the cached files on a temporary dir (See base::tempdir()).
overwrite	If this is set to TRUE, it will overwrite an existing GISCO_CACHE_DIR that you already have in local machine.
install	If TRUE, will install the key in your local machine for use in future sessions. Defaults to FALSE. If cache_dir is FALSE this argument is set to FALSE automatically.
verbose	logical. If TRUE displays informational messages.

Details

By default, when no cache cache_dir is set the package uses a folder inside base::tempdir() (so files are temporary and are removed when the R session ends). To persist a cache across R sessions, use gisco_set_cache_dir(cache_dir, install = TRUE) which writes the chosen path to a small configuration file under tools::R_user_dir("giscoR", "config").

Value

gisco_set_cache_dir() returns an (invisible) character with the path to your cache_dir, but it is mainly called for its side effect.

gisco_detect_cache_dir() returns the path to the cache_dir used in this session.

Caching strategies

Some files can be read from its online source without caching using the option cache = FALSE. Otherwise the source file would be downloaded to your computer. giscoR implements the following caching options:

• For occasional use, rely on the default tempdir()-based cache (no install).

• Modify the cache for a single session setting ⁠gisco_set_cache_dir(cache_dir = "a/path/here)⁠.

• For reproducible workflows, install a persistent cache with ⁠gisco_set_cache_dir(cache_dir = "a/path/here, install = TRUE)⁠ that would be kept across R sessions.

• For caching specific files, use the cache_dir argument in the corresponding function. See example in gisco_get_nuts().

Sometimes cached files may be corrupt. On that case, try re-downloading the data setting update_cache = TRUE in the corresponding function.

If you experience any problem on download, try to download the corresponding file by any other method and save it on your cache_dir. Use the option verbose = TRUE for debugging the API query and gisco_detect_cache_dir() to identify your cached path.

Note

In giscoR >= 1.0.0 the location of the configuration file has moved from rappdirs::user_config_dir("giscoR", "R") to tools::R_user_dir("giscoR", "config"). We have implemented a functionality that would migrate previous configuration files from one location to another with a message. This message would appear only once informing of the migration.

See Also

tools::R_user_dir()

Other cache utilities: gisco_clear_cache()

Examples

# Don't run this! It would modify your current state
## Not run: 
my_cache <- gisco_detect_cache_dir()

# Set an example cache
ex <- file.path(tempdir(), "example", "cachenew")
gisco_set_cache_dir(ex)

gisco_detect_cache_dir()

# Restore initial cache
gisco_set_cache_dir(my_cache)
identical(my_cache, gisco_detect_cache_dir())

## End(Not run)


gisco_detect_cache_dir()

giscoR documentation built on Dec. 10, 2025, 9:08 a.m.