R Weekly Highlights

A set of principles to enhance testing APIs created inside R, and the engine behind automatic reloading of rendered Shiny apps becomes available for new use cases.Episode Links This week's curator: Jon Calder - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @jonmcalder (X/Twitter)Testing Your Plumber APIs from Rwatcher 0.2.0: filesystem watching for R, and the engine behind Shiny auto-reloadEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W28Supplement Resources{plumber2}: https://plumber2.posit.co/{httr2}: https://httr2.r-lib.org/index.html{mirai}: https://mirai.r-lib.org/index.html{nanonext}: https://nanonext.r-lib.org/index.htmlroxygen2 @exampleIF tag https://roxygen2.r-lib.org/articles/rd-functions.html#examples{watcher}: https://watcher.r-lib.org/fswatch https://emcrisostomo.github.io/fswatch/Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter) Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixRelm's Weepy Loop - Final Fantasy 6 - MkVaff - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00178

The R Core team receives a prestigious award in the world of Statistics, a month-long recognition of the rOpenSci package maintainers, and a collection of helpful tips for obtaining robust R code from AI agents. Episode Links This week's curator: Eric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) & @theRcast (X/Twitter)2026 Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics Awarded to R Core Team for Transforming Statistics Computing WorldwideCelebrating Our Maintainers during Maintainers Month10 tips for getting better R code from your AI coding agentEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W26Supplement ResourcesThe Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics 2026 https://www.rousseeuwprize.org/2026{btw} A complete toolkit for connecting R and LLMs https://posit-dev.github.io/btw/Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixSuper Buck II - Super Mario Brothers 2 - Estradasphere - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00577Escape Route - Cave Story - Corran - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01513

The evolution of Posit's data science agents, robust approaches to unnamed parameters in R functions, and the power of math and visualization collide in an unexpected way.Episode Links This week's curator: Sam Parmar - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @parmsam_ (X/Twitter)A brief and biased history of Posit data science agentsThree small dots for more readable codeLittle useless-useful R functions – Ulam Prime SpiralEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W25Supplement ResourcesUlam Spiral Animation Function https://github.com/tomaztk/Useless_R_functions/blob/main/functions/ulam_spiral_animation.REric's new Quarto Terminal Theme https://github.com/rpodcast/quarto-revealjs-terminalSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixSuco de Melancia - Final Fantasy 7 - Red Tailed Fox - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01671The Quick and the Blue - Mega Man 2 - The Megas - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02090

A friendly reminder on checking customization when upgrading R, how refactoring may not be so tedious when using the Jarl utility, and honest takes on various code smells you can prevent in your next testing suite. Episode Links This week's curator: Batool Almarzouq - @batoolmm.bsky.social (Bluesky) & @batool664 (X/Twitter)The Lurking Dangers of the R Version UpdateRefactoring with Jarl: a coffee chat11 Test Smells That Make Your Tests Lie to YouEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W24Supplement Resources{renv} - Project environments in R https://rstudio.github.io/renv/index.htmlrig - The R installation manager https://github.com/r-lib/rigSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixVamo alla Django - Final Fantasy 9 - AndyP, Dan Bryant, Fishy - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03579Gurgling Desert Pond - Final Fantasy 1 - blackguitar - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02555

R is capable of many analyes in the world of data science, but can it build a computer? Also a massive usability feature landing in the latest bslib to power up your cards, and optimizing memory usage with the latest rleases of mirai and mori. Episode Links This week's curator: Jonathan Kitt - @jonathankitt.bsky.social (Bluesky)Building a Computer in RIntroducing Toolbars: Supercharge your Cards and InputsA memory model for production async R: mirai 2.7.0 and mori 0.2.0Entire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W23Supplement ResourcesMike's blog post: Reflections on AI and Security https://blog.ketchbrookanalytics.com/posts/2026-05-28-ai-security/ai-security.htmlSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixThe Unnamed Frontier - Metroid II Return of Samus - Pyro Paper Planes, Viking Guitar - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02892Brushwork - Mario Paint - Fratto, Wiesty, The OC Jazz Collective - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04389

The power of choice is in full effect! How you can leverage GitLab to publish your next Quarto document online, how to bring key R functional paradigms to a Python session, and adding a larger safety net with your unit tests with {mutagen} 0.2.0. Episode Links This week's curator: Jon Carroll - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @jonocarroll.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy (Bluesky) & @carroll_jono (X/Twitter)Deploying Quarto documents with GitLabFunctions over Idioms - Writing R in Python with rfunsmuttest 0.2.0: More Mutators, Better Reporting, and Parallel ExecutionEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W22Supplement ResourcesData Science at the Command Line https://datascienceatthecommandline.com/DevOps for Data Science https://do4ds.com/{pak} System Requirements https://pak.r-lib.org/reference/sysreqs.htmlSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemix Wrestling with Double Bass - Street Fighter II - Malcos - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01270A Simple Flip can Change Fate - Final Fantasy VI - Level 99 - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02692

Applying novel statistical and visualization techniques to predict war duration, why there is more than meets the statistical eye behind a classical model benchmarking statistic, and celebrating a major milestone for pioneers in open science with R. Episode Links This week's curator: Colin Fay - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @colinfay.bsky.social (Bluesky) & [@_ColinFay]](https://twitter.com/_ColinFay) (X/Twitter)Durations of wars by @ellis2013nzLearning Data Science: Why a High R^2 Can Be Misleading15 Years of rOpenSci, and We're Just Getting Started Entire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W21Supplement ResourcesCorrelates of war data set: https://correlatesofwar.org/data-sets/cow-war/tidymodels https://www.tidymodels.org/Donation to rOpenSci https://ropensci.org/donate/Upcoming rOpenSci events https://ropensci.org/events/Software peer review https://ropensci.org/software-review/R Pharma Hangouts recordings https://rinpharma.com/docs/hangout/recordingsSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixThe Quick and the Blue - Mega Man 2 - The Megas - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02090Serenity & Grace - Chrono Cross - timaeus222 - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04143

A massive milestone for the language that eventually led to the R we know and love, plus a comprehensive look at two popular workflow frameworks across the R and Python ecosystems. Episode Links This week's curator: Jon Calder - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @jonmcalder (X/Twitter)S at 50Comparing R's {targets} and dbt for Data EngineeringEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W20Supplement ResourcesFifty years of S poster https://blog.r-project.org/post/S-at-50/s_at_50_poster.jpgQuarto 2: Parsing and Source Maps https://opensource.posit.co/blog/2026-05-07_quarto-2-parsing/Beyond Feasibility: Learning from FDA’s Response to WebAssembly and Container-Based Submissions https://r-consortium.org/posts/beyond-feasibility-learning-from-fdas-response-to-webassembly-and-container-based-submissions/Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixJ-Type - Tetris - Nostalvania - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04401

If Shiny wasn't awesome enough, a new toolkit is bringing the awesome to new heights! Plus a handful of ggplot2 functions that can immediate impact common visualization operations, and knitr gains support for a much-hyped typesetting format for the static document crowd. Episode Links This week's curator: Eric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) & @theRcast (X/Twitter)Announcing shiny.webawesome: a web UI package for R/ShinyFive ggplot2 functions I wish I’d known about earlierPreliminary Support for Typst in knitrIssue available at rweekly.org/2026-W19Supplement ResourcesAdd links discussed in the episode (in place of this sentence){shiny.webawesome} documentation https://www.shiny-webawesome.orgWeb Awesome: The Web's Open Source Design System https://webawesome.com{lemon} Freshen up your ggplots https://github.com/stefanedwards/lemonligt.js Miscellaneous lightweight tools and utilities in JavaScript https://github.com/yihui/lite.js/blob/main/js/pages.jsR 4.6.0 binary transition https://github.com/eddelbuettel/R-4.6.0-binary-transitionExploring and Learning Quantum Computing Part 1 https://www.kenkoonwong.com/blog/qc1/Mike's talk "Fully Reproducible Model Validation Reports Using Docker, R, Quarto, {renv} and {targets}" https://youtube.com/watch?v=hRIbxv516hYSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixMoonlight Vibin - Megaman X5 - DCT - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02053Countdown to Infinity - Megaman X: Maverick Rising - WillRocky - https://maverick.ocremix.org/music.php

How the new logrittr package gives you a peek behind the tidy pipelines of dplyr, and a fascinating glimpse into the universe of seeds going far beyond a favorite 80's song. Episode Links This week's curator: Jonathan Kitt - @jonathankitt.bsky.social (Bluesky)logrittr: A Verbose Pipe Operator for Logging dplyr PipelinesGenerating universes within universes with a single seedWorking Smarter in R: Tips, Tricks & Real-World LessonsEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W18Supplement Resourcestidylog https://github.com/elbersb/tidylog/logrittr documentation https://guillaumepressiat.github.io/logrittr/Fine-grained control of RNG seeds in R https://blog.djnavarro.net/posts/2023-12-27_seedcatcherSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixPassing Breeze (Lounge Suite) - OutRun - Remorse - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00875