Introduction

This guide walks through the basic steps of creating a Flexdashboard, setting up necessary packages, resolving common issues, and deploying your dashboard as a Shiny web app for the first time.

Step 1: Install Flexdashboard

To begin, install the flexdashboard package:

install.packages("flexdashboard")

Once installed, restart R and RStudio to avoid conflicts.

Step 2: Create a New Flexdashboard

To create your first dashboard:

Go to File → New File → R Markdown → From Template
Choose Flex Dashboard
Save the default template to your project folder
Click Knit to render the dashboard as a static HTML page

✨ Before diving into interactivity, take a moment to explore the official Flexdashboard gallery & docs — it’s a colorful world of possibilities! 🌍📊 From dynamic charts to interactive maps 🗺️, you’ll find fantastic examples that spark ideas and show just how far you can go. Your dashboard adventure starts here! 🚀

Step 3: Enable Shiny Runtime

To make your dashboard interactive (using Shiny):

Add the following line to the YAML header at the top of your Rmd file:

runtime: shiny

Save the file
Click Run Document (instead of Knit) to test the interactive dashboard locally

Step 4: (Optional) Fix Package

Some older packages may have Compatibility Issues throuwoing errprs. You can install archived versions manually as shown:

install.packages("https://cran.r-project.org/src/contrib/Archive/d3heatmap/d3heatmap_0.6.1.tar.gz", 
                 repos = NULL, type = "source")

install.packages("https://cran.r-project.org/src/contrib/Archive/metricsgraphics/metricsgraphics_0.9.0.tar.gz",
                 repos = NULL, type = "source")

Step 5: Deploying the Shiny App

1. Set Up a Shinyapps.io Account

Go to https://www.shinyapps.io
Create an account and link it to RStudio using the rsconnect package:

install.packages("rsconnect")
library(rsconnect)
rsconnect::setAccountInfo(name='yourname', token='your_token', secret='your_secret')

2. Deploy the App

Use the deployApp() function from rsconnect:

rsconnect::deployApp(
  appDir = "path/to/your/app/folder",
  appName = "your_app_name",
  account = "your_account_name",
  appPrimaryDoc = "your_file.Rmd"
)

Example:

rsconnect::deployApp(
  appDir = "D:/UGA/AcademicCourseWork/Spring-2025/GradFIRST/Rcode/Shiny_Web_App/shiny_webpage/Small_Apps/TinyShinyApps",
  appName = "tinyApp_shine_4",
  account = "ecocliff",
  appPrimaryDoc = "shine_4.R"
)

Once deployed, your app will be live on the web!🎉

Check out my very first one here — yay to shiny beginnings! ✨🙌

Final Tips

Always test the app locally before deploying.
Use runtime: shiny only when interactivity is needed.
If your app includes data files, ensure they’re in the same directory or properly referenced.
For persistent issues, restart RStudio and recheck package versions.

Happy Shiny-ing! ✨

Now go forth and let your dashboards shine!

Getting Started with Shiny Deployment