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lrsxcd / vip-repl

Clojure View-Interact-Pull REPL
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VIP REPL

VIP REPL stands for "View-Interact-Pull REPL". It is a Clojure library for visualizing data in an interactive mode while working in a Clojure REPL (Read Eval Print Loop).

Overview

VIP REPL is intended to be used by users who use the REPL for data exploration, adding the ability to visualize data sets graphically, interact with graphs and modify them, then pull the modified data back to the REPL, thus enabling working on it in the on-going REPL session.

VIP REPL works in asynchronous mode, allowing the user to switch between VIP REPL windows and the REPL session.

Describing a typical scenario might make this more tangible:

  1. A user starts working in a REPL. She loads some data and starts manipulating it.
  2. At some point, she invokes VIP REPL for visualizing some specific data set she has created; the type of visualization and other parameters are defined by the user when calling the VIP REPL visualization code.
  3. VIP REPL opens a graphical window displaying the data visualization.
  4. Using controls in the VIP REPL window, the user manipulates the data; for instance, she selects a subset of the data (rows and/or columns), creates some new computed columns and so on.
  5. The user can "commit" her modifications to the data set, thus creating a modified copy of the original data set that can be retrieved in the REPL for further processing.
  6. Since VIP REPL is asynchronous, the user can get back to the REPL and continue her work without closing the VIP REPL window. She might even open additional VIP REPL windows for displaying other data sets.