Changelog

Source: NEWS.md

shinyelectron 0.2.0

New app types

• Added Python Shiny support: py-shinylive (browser-based via Pyodide) and py-shiny (native with Python runtime). All four app types are now fully implemented.

Runtime strategies

• Added four runtime strategies for native apps (r-shiny, py-shiny): system, bundled, auto-download (default), and container.
• Bundled strategy embeds a portable R or Python runtime inside the Electron app for zero-dependency distribution.
• Auto-download strategy downloads the runtime on first launch and caches it locally.
• Container strategy runs apps inside Docker or Podman for full environment isolation.

Multi-app suites

• Bundle multiple Shiny apps into a single Electron shell with a launcher UI.
• Configure via _shinyelectron.yml with an apps array.
• Python suites read dependencies from a single suite-root requirements.txt.

Lifecycle UI

• New lifecycle splash screen with progressive status updates during startup.
• Backend stderr is parsed and surfaced in the splash (package loading, font downloads, server status) so users see what’s happening instead of a frozen screen.
• Port allocation uses OS-assigned ports via findAvailablePort() to prevent collisions when multiple apps run simultaneously.

Code signing

• Added sign parameter to export() and build_electron_app().
• Supports macOS code signing + notarization and Windows Authenticode via environment variables (CSC_LINK, CSC_KEY_PASSWORD, APPLE_ID, APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD).

Developer tools

• app_check(): pre-flight validator that reports issues without aborting.
• wizard(): interactive configuration generator for _shinyelectron.yml.
• available_examples() and example_app(): browse and retrieve bundled demo apps.
• sitrep_shinyelectron() now checks Python shinylive CLI and shiny package availability.

Windows compatibility

• Fixed fs::dir_copy() creating nested subdirectories on Windows by introducing copy_dir_contents() with consistent cross-platform semantics.
• Fixed GNU tar (from Git for Windows) misinterpreting drive letters as remote hosts by resolving to %SystemRoot%\System32\tar.exe (bsdtar) explicitly.
• Fixed Python download URL: python-build-standalone ships .tar.gz on all platforms, not .zip on Windows.
• Fixed bundled R package installation: packages are now installed into the portable R’s own library with a scrubbed environment (--vanilla, R_LIBS_USER="").
• Added post-copy entrypoint validation to catch file layout issues at build time instead of inside a running Electron app.

Documentation

• New vignettes: Runtime Strategies, Multi-App Suites, Code Signing, Container Strategy, Security Considerations.
• Updated Getting Started, Configuration, and Troubleshooting vignettes for Python support, all runtime strategies, and Windows-specific guidance.

Internal

• Extracted run_command_safe() helper for repeated processx::run() patterns.
• Extracted killProcessTree() to shared JS utils for process cleanup.
• Added app type group constants (SHINYLIVE_TYPES, NATIVE_TYPES, R_TYPES, PY_TYPES) to reduce stringly-typed code.
• Cached available.packages() during bundled R builds to avoid redundant CRAN network calls.
• Fixed event listener leak in multi-app mode (removeAllListeners() instead of removeAllListeners('status')).

shinyelectron 0.1.0

• Initial release with r-shinylive support.
• Export R Shiny apps as standalone Electron desktop applications via WebR.
• Cross-platform builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Node.js local installation and management.
• Configuration via _shinyelectron.yml.
• Automatic updates via electron-updater.