Create a skeleton documentation string for an R data.frame

doc_data.R

doc_data <- function(d) {
  # Get column names and types
  vartype <- vapply(d, typeof, FUN.VALUE = character(1))
  
  # Write individual item description templates
  items <- paste0("#\'   \\item{\\code{", names(vartype), "}}{", vartype, ". ###}", collapse = "\n")
  
  # Return the full documentation template
  paste0("#\' DATASET TITLE
#\' 
#\' DATASET DETAILS
#\' 
#\' @format A data frame with ", nrow(d), " rows and ", length(vartype), " variables:
#\' \\describe{
", items, "
#\' }
\"", deparse(substitute(d)), "\"")
}

If you're using RStudio, there's a better variant as an addin: https://github.com/mdlincoln/docthis