Exporting several tables to word documents using r package 'flextable'

Question

I am trying to export two (flex)tables within the same word document. Here what I have:

df1 <- data.frame(a = 1:3, b = 1:3)
df2 <- data.frame(c = 11:13, d = 11:13)

library(flextable)
df1_ft <- regulartable(df1)
df2_ft <- regulartable(df2)

library(officer)
word_export <- read_docx()
word_export <- body_add_flextable(word_export, df1_ft)
word_export <- body_add_flextable(word_export, df2_ft)
print(word_export, 'try.docx')

Yet, the results is a single table containing both tables. Any idea how I can add to two tables one after the other?

Answer 1

The two tables are being output to Word one after the other, and as there are no line breaks between them they appear as one. Simplest solution is to place a paragraph with empty text between them:

word_export <- read_docx()
body_add_flextable(word_export, df1_ft)
body_add_par(word_export, value = "")
body_add_flextable(word_export, df2_ft)
print(word_export, 'try.docx')

You can also see that you don't need to repeatedly assign the output of each body_add_* line back to your word_export file - the Word file is updated directly by each call.

Answer 2

You can try

library(flextable)
library(tidyverse)
library(officer)
# write function
write_word_table <- function(var, doc){
  doc %>%
    body_add_flextable(var) %>% 
    body_add_break() }

# list of tables and the doc
my_list <- list(df1_ft <- regulartable(df1),
              df2_ft <- regulartable(df2))
my_doc <- read_docx()

# use walk (the invisible function of map) to include all tables in one doc
walk(my_list, write_word_table, my_doc) 
print(my_doc, target = "c:/Users/tremmel/Desktop/Doc1.docx") %>% invisible()