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Changelog

Source: NEWS.md

airtable2 0.0.0.9000

Initial development release — complete rewrite of airtabler using modern R packages.

DBI improvements (Stage 8A)

  • Added dbGetRowsAffected() for AirtableResult — returns NA_integer_ (read-only results satisfy the DBI contract).
  • Added dbFetch() dispatch for missing n so dbFetch(res) works without specifying n.
  • Extended DBI test coverage: dbGetInfo, dbWriteTable modes, dbExistsTable FALSE case, dbListFields error path, dbi_parse_statement edge cases, multi-base dbListTables, dbSendQuery formula forwarding.
  • Added tests/testthat/test-dbitest.R as DBItest conformance placeholder.
  • Added DBI vignette vignettes/dbi.Rmd (Stage 8C).

Breaking changes

  • Normalized function signatures so the piped/main object comes first and the container hierarchy (table → base → workspace) comes last, letting a session default base be used positionally:
    • air_read(table, base_id = NULL, ...) (was base-first)
    • air_write(data, table, base_id = NULL, ...), air_upsert(data, table, merge_on, base_id = NULL, ...), air_sync(data, table, key, base_id = NULL, ...)
    • air_delete(record_ids, table, base_id = NULL, ...) (now resolves the session default base)
    • air_left_join() / air_inner_join() / air_full_join() are now (x, table, base_id = NULL, by = NULL, ...)
    • at_create_base(name, tables, workspace_id = NULL, ...)

Bug fixes

  • Attachment uploads now work. at_upload_attachment() (and the air_write_attachments() / air_sync_attachments() / air_demo() paths that call it) previously POSTed to api.airtable.com and always got a 404, because Airtable serves the uploadAttachment endpoint from a separate host. Uploads now go to content.airtable.com. air_req() gained a host argument to select the host.
  • API errors are now informative: air_perform() surfaces Airtable’s error type and message plus actionable hints (e.g. a wrong table name / missing permission, an unknown field name, or an invalid filterByFormula). This also fixes a dead error handler — the old code caught the non-existent httr2_http_error condition class, so Airtable’s explanation was silently dropped and users only saw the bare HTTP status.
  • air_api_usage() now counts parallel attachment downloads (which previously bypassed the counter via req_perform_parallel()), and its print method shows the workspace ID as a clickable link.
  • Airtable IDs in air_browse() messages are now clickable cli hyperlinks.
  • air_browse() now honors its base_id/table_id arguments (they previously leaked into utils::browseURL()), so browsing a table/view by ID works.
  • .onAttach now warns (once, via packageStartupMessage()) when both airtabler and airtable2 are loaded and their function names would mask.
  • Fixed the pkgdown reference index so the site builds (documented the AirtableDriver topic; indexed air_req()/air_token() and the package doc).

New features

  • Full httr2-based Airtable REST client replacing legacy airtabler (httr-based)
  • Type-aware air_read() / air_write() with S3 list-columns for multiselect, linked records, attachments, collaborators, and barcodes
  • Diff-based air_sync() and air_upsert() that exclude computed/read-only fields automatically using the table schema
  • DBI S4 interface (AirtableDriver, AirtableConnection) for standard database workflows and RStudio/Positron connection pane integration
  • Join helpers: air_left_join(), air_inner_join(), air_full_join()
  • Parallel attachment downloads/uploads (air_read_attachments(), air_write_attachments())
  • Base metadata management: air_meta(), air_meta_push(), air_meta_sync()
  • Schema inspection: air_schema() returns a tidy tibble of tables/fields/types
  • Backup/restore: air_dump() (JSON/CSV + optional attachments) and air_restore()
  • Type helpers: air_flatten_multiselect(), air_flatten_links(), air_flatten_attachments(), air_flatten_collaborator(), air_expand_multiselect(), air_expand_collaborator(), air_simplify()
  • Field/table template builders: air_field_template(), air_table_template()
  • Project-level defaults: air_set_token(), air_set_base() with env var fallback (AIRTABLE_API_KEY, AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)
  • API call tracking: air_api_usage(), respects free-tier ~1000 calls/month limit
  • Situation report: at_sitrep() for debugging credentials and accessible bases
  • Browser navigation: air_browse() to open bases, tables, views, and records
  • Low-level at_* wrappers covering all Airtable REST endpoints (records, tables, bases, fields, views)
  • Convenience wrappers air_connect() / air_pane() for DBI connection pane integration
  • air_delete() high-level record deletion with messaging
  • The default delimiter for flattening/expanding multiselect, links, and attachment fields is now "; " (was ", "), overridable with the airtable2.delimiter option or AIRTABLE2_DELIMITER env var; expansion tolerates spaces around the separator so flatten/expand round-trips
  • air_browse() accepts base/table NAMES (not just IDs), opens the session default base when called with no argument, and resolves app/wsp/tbl/viw prefixes
  • air_attachment_preview_url() plus documentation of Airtable attachment URL behavior (the API url expires ~2h; stable viewer links are obtained in the web app)
  • air_flatten() is now an S3 generic dispatching on the air_multiselect, air_links, air_attachments, and air_collaborator column classes (the per-type air_flatten_*() functions remain as exported wrappers)
  • Write/upsert/sync now auto-expand flat character columns to the structure Airtable expects, inferred from the table schema (e.g. a "; "-joined string into a multiselect or linked-record array, an email into a collaborator object) — manual air_expand_*() is no longer required
  • air_left_join_upload() (was air_upload_join()) joins a local data frame to matched Airtable records and upserts only new or changed field values; reads the remote table minimally (key + existing target fields) and skips unmatched rows without creating records — the upload complement to air_left_join()
  • air_meta_sync() now accepts a local data frame, a CSV/JSON file path, or a table name (defaults to "_metadata") and performs a pull-then-patch: it fetches the current remote metadata, computes a diff, and pushes only changed fields
  • air_meta_init() seeds a _metadata table in a base from a schema data frame or an existing schema object, creating the table and populating it in one call
  • Added vignette("dbi", package = "airtable2") — “Using airtable2 with DBI”: covers connecting via air_connect() / DBI::dbConnect(), exploring connections, reading (full table and formula-filtered queries), writing (append and overwrite/sync), multi-base mode, and DBI limitations