🚀 From R Markdown to Quarto: Why Visual Mode in VS Code is a Game Changer Link to heading

For years, R Markdown (.Rmd) was the gold standard for writing reproducible reports, seamlessly blending code, text, and output within a single document. One of its most powerful features in RStudio was Visual Mode, a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that made formatting intuitive, enabling users to style documents effortlessly without manually writing Markdown syntax.

But now, with Quarto (.qmd), things have evolved—for the better! 🚀

💡 What is Quarto? Why Switch from R Markdown? Link to heading

Quarto is the next-generation system for creating reproducible reports, technical documents, blogs, books, and presentations. Think of it as R Markdown 2.0—but more flexible, powerful, and designed for a modern data science workflow.

🔹 Key Advantages of Quarto Link to heading

✅ Multi-language support – Not just for R! Write in Python, Julia, JavaScript, or even combine multiple languages in a single document 🔥
✅ Enhanced YAML headers – Improved metadata handling, structured document settings, and better defaults 📜
✅ Better output formatting – More control over styling, citations, cross-references, and scientific publishing 🎨
✅ Visual Mode in VS Code! – A true game-changer for those who prefer a modern, full-featured coding environment

🎯 Why Visual Mode in VS Code is a Big Deal Link to heading

Previously, Visual Mode, which simplified .Rmd editing in RStudio, was exclusive to RStudio users. But with Quarto, VS Code now gains the same powerful WYSIWYG experience, allowing users to:

🔹 Edit and format text without Markdown syntax 📝
🔹 Embed and run code chunks interactively 🖥️
🔹 See real-time previews of tables, equations, and document styling 👀
🔹 Enjoy a modern editor experience with Git integration, extensions, and custom workflows 🔄

This means Quarto + VS Code now delivers a workflow that is more powerful than R Markdown in RStudio. You’re no longer restricted to a single editor!

🚀 Why Quarto (.qmd) + VS Code > R Markdown (.Rmd) + RStudio Link to heading

With Quarto, the entire workflow becomes cross-platform, cross-language, and cross-editor. Whether you’re in RStudio, Jupyter, or VS Code, you get the same document experience.

🔥 Getting Started with Quarto in VS Code Link to heading

To begin using Quarto with VS Code:

1️⃣ Install Quarto (if you haven’t already):
👉 Download Quarto

2️⃣ Ensure you have VS Code installed and install the Quarto extension:
👉 Open VS Code and install Quarto from the extensions marketplace.

3️⃣ Start a new Quarto document:

• Open VS Code, create a .qmd file, and begin writing!
• Use Visual Mode (Ctrl + Shift + P → Quarto: Open Visual Mode) for a WYSIWYG editing experience.

4️⃣ Render your document:

quarto render my_document.qmd

5️⃣ Preview and refine – Enjoy the live preview and enhanced workflow!

🔧 My Personal Preferences for Quarto YAML Headers Link to heading

To enhance the formatting and usability of my Quarto documents, I recommend the following YAML settings:

theme: darkly
highlight: monokai
toc: true
toc-depth: 3
toc-float: true
title-block-banner: true
self-contained: true

🔹 Why These Settings? Link to heading

• theme: darkly → A modern dark mode for better readability.
• highlight: monokai → Syntax highlighting that looks great for code.
• toc: true & toc-depth: 3 → Enables a floating table of contents with up to 3 levels for easy navigation.
• title-block-banner: true → Enhances document headers with better structure.
• self-contained: true → Ensures your output document is standalone and can be shared with all your analysis and results.

By using these settings, you ensure that your documents are well-structured, readable, and optimized for both presentation and usability.

📌 Final Thoughts Link to heading

Bottom Line: Link to heading

Quarto takes everything great about R Markdown and expands it into a truly cross-language, cross-editor, and extensible system. If you’re still using .Rmd in RStudio, it’s time to explore .qmd in VS Code and experience the future of reproducible research and technical writing.

👇 Have you tried Quarto yet? Are you still using R Markdown? Let’s discuss!

#Quarto #RMarkdown #VSCode #DataScience #Reproducibility #OpenScience