> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.domino.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set custom preferences for RStudio Workspaces

Use the instructions below based on your RStudio version, to set custom preferences (such as themes, key mappings, languages, and dictionaries) for RStudio workspace runs. For more information on RStudio session settings, see [RStudio’s official documentation site](https://docs.posit.co/ide/server-pro/admin/rstudio_pro_sessions/customizing_session_settings.html).

## RStudio version 1.3+

RStudio versions 1.3+ use `/home/ubuntu/.config/rstudio/rstudio-prefs.json` to store user preferences. You can use a [pre run script in a custom compute environment](/cloud/platform-capabilities/core-concepts/compute-environments/manage-compute-environments/5-edit-environment-definition) to modify this file to launch RStudio with custom preferences. To learn more about the schema of `rstudio-prefs.json`, see [RStudio’s official documentation on Customizing Session Settings](https://docs.posit.co/ide/server-pro/admin/rstudio_pro_sessions/customizing_session_settings.html).

### Method 1: Write lines to settings file

If you know how to manually add configuration lines to the `rstudio-prefs.json` settings file, you can write it in the pre run script. For example:

```shell theme={null}
# Variables
DIRECTORY="/home/ubuntu/.config/rstudio/"
# Check if directory exist, else create the directory
if [ -d "${DIRECTORY}" ];
then
    # Show directory
    echo "directory ${DIRECTORY} exists"
else
    echo "The specified directory does not exist"

    echo 'Creating directory...'
    mkdir -p "${DIRECTORY}"

fi

# Check if the preference file exist, else create the preference file
if [ -f "${DIRECTORY}/rstudio-prefs.json" ]; then
    echo "RStudio-prefs json exists"

else
    # Create Rstudio prefs json
    echo "Creating RStudio Preference json file"
    touch "${DIRECTORY}/rstudio-prefs.json"
fi

# add Rstudio Preferences
echo 'Adding Rstudio Preferences'
cat <<EOF > /home/ubuntu/.config/rstudio/rstudio-prefs.json
{
    "editor_theme": "Cobalt",
    "posix_terminal_shell": "bash"
}
EOF
```

### Method 2: Copy a saved settings file

Use this method to copy the settings from an existing RStudio session. This method is useful if you aren’t familiar with the syntax of `rstudio-prefs.json`, or if you want to use preferences from an existing preference file.

1. Run a session and modify the RStudio preferences as needed.

2. Before you stop the session, use the following R code to copy the `rstudio-prefs.json` file to the root of your project directory.

   ```r theme={null}
   file.copy("/home/ubuntu/.config/rstudio/rstudio-prefs.json", ".")
   ```

3. Add the following lines to the [pre run script of your environment definition](/cloud/platform-capabilities/core-concepts/compute-environments/manage-compute-environments/5-edit-environment-definition) to load the preferences file (if it exists) on subsequent runs:

   ```shell theme={null}
   # After setting preferences in an RStudio session, run the following command:
   # file.copy("/home/ubuntu/.config/rstudio/rstudio-prefs.json", '.')

   DIRECTORY="/home/ubuntu/.config/rstudio/"
   SETTINGS_FILE="./rstudio-prefs.json"

   if [ -f "${SETTINGS_FILE}" ]; then
       echo "File exists"
       echo "Checking if directory exist"
       if [ -d "${DIRECTORY}" ];
       then
           # Show directory
           echo "Directory '${DIRECTORY}' exists"

           # Copy Rstudio prefs json
           echo "Copying '${SETTINGS_FILE}' to '${DIRECTORY}'"
           cp ${SETTINGS_FILE} ${DIRECTORY}
       else
           echo "The specified directory does not exist"

           echo 'Creating directory...'
           mkdir -p "${DIRECTORY}"

           # Copy Rstudio prefs json
           echo "Copying '${SETTINGS_FILE}' to '${DIRECTORY}'"
           cp ${SETTINGS_FILE} ${DIRECTORY}

       fi
   fi
   ```

## RStudio version 1.2 and lower

Older versions (1.2 and lower) of RStudio use `/home/ubuntu/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings` to store user preferences. To launch RStudio with custom preferences, you can use the pre-setup script in a custom [compute environment](/cloud/platform-capabilities/core-concepts/compute-environments/manage-compute-environments) to modify this file.

### Method 1: Write lines to settings file

If you know what to add to the settings file, you can write it in the pre-setup script. For example:

```shell theme={null}
# create the encompassing directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p /home/ubuntu/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/
# write the theme to the preferences file inside the directory
echo 'uiPrefs={"theme" : "Mono Industrial"}' >> /home/ubuntu/ .rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings
chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /home/ubuntu/.rstudio 
# modifies a Domino script that would overwrite this settings file.
if [ -f .domino/launch-rstudio-server ]; then
    sed -i.bak 's# > ~/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings# >> ~/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings#' .domino/launch-rstudio-server 
    chown ubuntu:ubuntu .domino/launch-rstudio-server 
fi
```

### Method 2: Copy a saved settings file

Use this method to copy the settings from an existing RStudio session. This method is useful if you aren’t familiar with the syntax of `rstudio-prefs.json`, or if you want to use preferences from an existing preference file.

1. Run a session and modify the RStudio preferences as needed.

2. Before you stop the session, use the following R code to copy the `user-settings` file to the root of your project directory.

   ```r theme={null}
   file.copy("/home/ubuntu/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings", ".")
   ```

3. Add the following lines to the pre-setup script of your environment definition to load the preferences file (if it exists) on subsequent runs:

   ```shell theme={null}
   if [ -f user-settings ]; then
       mkdir -p /home/ubuntu/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/
       cp user-settings /home/ubuntu/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings
       sed -i.bak '/initialWorkingDirectory=/d' /home/ubuntu/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings
       chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /home/ubuntu/.rstudio
       if [ -f .domino/launch-rstudio-server ]; then
           sed -i.bak 's# > ~/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings# >> ~/.rstudio/monitored/user-settings/user-settings#' .domino/launch-rstudio-server
           chown ubuntu:ubuntu .domino/launch-rstudio-server
       fi
   fi
   ```

<Note>
  The `sed` statement that deletes the `initialWorkingDirectory` variable ensures that your session starts with the correct working directory.
</Note>