Update packages in R Shiny

Question

I have an R Shiny app I've had zero problems with for about a year now. Suddenly it isn't working ("disconnected from server"), and I discovered that the issue seems to be one of the packages ( rdrop2 ) the app depends on was recently updated. When i run the app off my desktop after reinstalling rdrop2 the app runs fine.

Is there a way to have R Shiny install the latest version of a package? I tried including install.packages("rdrop2") in my code but to no avail.

Answer 1

One way to detect problems like this is to setup automated tests in Rshiny with continuous integration. You still need to install the package manually, but at least you can get a notification if the application does not work as expected.

Answer 2

Most likely the problem comes from the fact that the builtin credentials in the package expired. I had the same problem. A subsequent update updated the default credentials in the package but you had to re-authorize them. My advice is to bite the bullet and create your own app credentials.