Download the FFB checklist

Here we present a practical guide to the flora_download() function of the floraR package. This function downloads taxonomic and distributional records from the Flora e Funga do Brasil (FFB) platform in Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) format, directly from the FFB IPT data portal.

Function Overview

flora_download() retrieves one or more versions of the FFB dataset and saves each one to its own subdirectory on disk. It checks whether a requested version is already present locally and avoids re-downloading it unnecessarily, so it is safe to call repeatedly across a project.

Arguments

Argument	Description
`version`	Character. `"latest"` (default) downloads the most recent release; `"all"` downloads every available version (large!); a version string or vector of version strings (e.g. `"393.418"`) downloads specific releases. Use `flora_version()` to inspect valid version numbers first.
`verbose`	Logical. If `TRUE` (default), prints informative messages during download.
`dir`	Character. Local directory to save the downloaded files. Defaults to `"flora_download"`. Each version is extracted into its own subdirectory.

Download the latest dataset

library(floraR)

flora_download(dir = "flora_download")

Download a specific version

Use flora_version() first to find a valid version string:

versions_df <- flora_version()

flora_download(version = versions_df$Version[1], dir = "flora_download")

Download multiple versions

flora_download(version = c("393.418", "392.417"), dir = "flora_download")

Download every available version

# Large download! Only needed for archival or cross-version comparisons.
flora_download(version = "all", dir = "flora_download")

Additional Tips

You rarely need to call flora_download() directly: flora_records(), flora_search(), flora_match(), flora_get_children_taxa(), flora_species_gap(), and flora_distribution_gap() all download and cache the dataset automatically the first time you call them.
If no internet connection is available, flora_download() automatically falls back to a previously downloaded local copy, if one exists in dir.
Keep the downloaded folder (the default rm_flora_database = FALSE behavior in downstream functions) so that repeated analyses reuse the cache instead of re-downloading the archive every time.

--- title: "Download the FFB checklist" format: html --- Here we present a practical guide to the `flora_download()` function of the `floraR` package. This function downloads taxonomic and distributional records from the [Flora e Funga do Brasil (FFB)](https://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/consulta/) platform in Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) format, directly from the [FFB IPT data portal](https://ipt.jbrj.gov.br/jbrj/resource?r=lista_especies_flora_brasil). ## Function Overview `flora_download()` retrieves one or more versions of the FFB dataset and saves each one to its own subdirectory on disk. It checks whether a requested version is already present locally and avoids re-downloading it unnecessarily, so it is safe to call repeatedly across a project. ## Arguments | Argument | Description | |---|---| | `version` | Character. `"latest"` (default) downloads the most recent release; `"all"` downloads every available version (large!); a version string or vector of version strings (e.g. `"393.418"`) downloads specific releases. Use `flora_version()` to inspect valid version numbers first. | | `verbose` | Logical. If `TRUE` (default), prints informative messages during download. | | `dir` | Character. Local directory to save the downloaded files. Defaults to `"flora_download"`. Each version is extracted into its own subdirectory. | ## Download the latest dataset ```r library(floraR) flora_download(dir = "flora_download") ``` ## Download a specific version Use [`flora_version()`](/articles/check_ffb_versions.qmd) first to find a valid version string: ```r versions_df <- flora_version() flora_download(version = versions_df$Version[1], dir = "flora_download") ``` ## Download multiple versions ```r flora_download(version = c("393.418", "392.417"), dir = "flora_download") ``` ## Download every available version ```r # Large download! Only needed for archival or cross-version comparisons. flora_download(version = "all", dir = "flora_download") ``` ## Additional Tips - You rarely need to call `flora_download()` directly: `flora_records()`, `flora_search()`, `flora_match()`, `flora_get_children_taxa()`, `flora_species_gap()`, and `flora_distribution_gap()` all download and cache the dataset automatically the first time you call them. - If no internet connection is available, `flora_download()` automatically falls back to a previously downloaded local copy, if one exists in `dir`. - Keep the downloaded folder (the default `rm_flora_database = FALSE` behavior in downstream functions) so that repeated analyses reuse the cache instead of re-downloading the archive every time. ## See Also - [Check available FFB dataset versions](/articles/check_ffb_versions.qmd) - [Parse FFB Darwin Core Archives](/articles/parse_ffb_dwca.qmd)