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Architecture

Conjoint Companion Desktop wraps an R Shiny application in a small Tauri 2 desktop shell.

Runtime Shape

  • src-tauri/src/main.rs starts the desktop shell.
  • The Tauri backend chooses a localhost port, launches the bundled R runtime, waits for Shiny to become available, and opens the Shiny UI in the desktop window.
  • The Shiny app snapshot lives in src-tauri/resources/shiny-app.
  • The desktop launch script lives in src-tauri/resources/desktop/run_shiny.R.
  • Windows release builds bundle R under src-tauri/resources/runtime/R. macOS release builds stage R.framework under src-tauri/bundle-runtime and place it in the app's Contents/Frameworks directory.
  • Both platforms bundle the restored R package library under src-tauri/resources/runtime/R-library.

The app binds to 127.0.0.1 and is intended to run fully offline after download.

Data Flow

  1. A researcher opens the desktop app.
  2. Tauri launches the local Shiny process.
  3. The researcher uploads data into the Shiny UI.
  4. Shiny processes data in session-specific temporary directories.
  5. Downloads are routed back through the desktop shell and saved in the user's normal Downloads directory.
  6. Closing the desktop app stops the R child process.

Uploaded data are not sent to GitHub or to the hosted web app.

Shiny Application Source

The Shiny application under src-tauri/resources/shiny-app is the authoritative source for the desktop application. Desktop builds never import code from a sibling checkout, so a given commit always packages the same application sources.

The statistical workflow is treated as a protected baseline. Changes to formulas, pairing rules, output definitions, or interpretation logic must be covered by regression tests.

Reliability data are paired by respondent + profile, never by row position. The analyzed profile set is the intersection of profiles found in rounds 1 and 2; respondents incomplete within that set are removed from both rounds before any reliability or regression calculation.

Desktop Security Boundary

The Shiny process binds only to 127.0.0.1. Tauri navigation and download handling accept only the exact localhost port started for the current session. External HTTP(S) pages do not receive desktop capabilities, and the loader page uses a restrictive content security policy.

The macOS build keeps hardened-runtime library validation enabled. Every bundled Mach-O file is signed with the release identity, and bundle verification rejects an app or bundled R executable that disables library validation.

Release Artifacts

  • npm run release:windows creates an unsigned Windows x64 portable ZIP.
  • npm run release:macos creates a signed and notarized Apple Silicon .app, archives it as a ZIP, and verifies its framework references and signatures.

Both commands require a clean worktree, consistent versions, and R 4.5.3. They create an archive and SHA256SUMS.txt under release-artifacts/<platform>.

Release artifacts are intentionally ignored by git and should be attached to GitHub Releases.