Working with blockr

This guide walks you through building a complete data workflow in blockr. You’ll learn how to import data, transform it, create a visualization, and export the results.

The workspace

When you open blockr, you see a workspace where you can add and connect blocks. Each block performs a specific operation and shows a preview of its output.

Blocks are organized into categories:

Building a workflow: Step by step

Let’s build a workflow that loads data, filters it, and creates a chart.

Step 1: Import your data

Add an Import Data block to load your dataset. You can:

blockr automatically detects the file format and shows a preview of the data.

Supported formats: CSV, Excel, SPSS, SAS, Stata, Parquet, Feather.

Step 2: Filter the data

Add a Filter Rows block and connect it to your data. This block lets you keep only the rows you need.

Use the dropdowns to:

  1. Select a column
  2. Choose a comparison (equals, greater than, contains, etc.)
  3. Pick the value(s) to filter by

For example, to keep only rows where cyl equals 4:

The preview updates immediately to show the filtered data.

For more complex filters with AND/OR logic, use Filter (Advanced) instead.

Step 3: Select columns

Add a Select Columns block to choose which columns to keep.

Drag columns to reorder them. Toggle “Remove duplicates” to keep only unique rows.

Step 4: Create a visualization

Add a ggplot block to create a chart.

  1. Choose a chart type: point (scatter), bar, line, boxplot, histogram, etc.
  2. Map columns to aesthetics:

The chart updates as you make selections.

Step 5: Export results

Add an Export Data block to save your results.

Choose a format:

Select To Browser to download the file, or To Server to save it to a configured location.

More blocks

Data transformation

Block What it does
Filter Rows Keep rows matching specific values
Filter (Advanced) Filter with R expressions and AND/OR logic
Select Columns Choose and reorder columns
Calculate Columns Create new columns using formulas
Aggregate Data Calculate totals, averages, counts (no coding)
Aggregate (Advanced) Summarize with R expressions
Sort Rows Order data by column values
Lookup & Merge Combine tables by matching columns
Stack Tables Combine tables vertically
Combine Side-by-Side Place tables next to each other
Rename Columns Change column names
Pick Rows Select first N, last N, random sample, or min/max rows
Unpivot (Wide to Long) Turn columns into rows
Pivot (Long to Wide) Turn rows into columns
Split Column Separate one column into multiple
Combine Columns Merge columns into one

Visualization

Block What it does
ggplot Create scatter plots, bar charts, line graphs, histograms, and more
Theme Customize colors, fonts, and styling
Facet Split a plot into panels by a categorical variable
Grid Arrange multiple plots into a single figure

Working with multiple inputs

Some blocks accept data from multiple sources:

Tips

Start simple. Begin with one data source and one transformation. Add complexity gradually.

Use previews. Each block shows its output - use this to verify each step works correctly.

Build incrementally. Add one block at a time and check the result before continuing.

Block reference

For detailed documentation on each block, see: