while using R visuals in desktop, it is possible to load files or URL from within the R visual. this is very useful for files which are not "data" : e.g. previously trained R models (for data files, ...
I agree enabling external sources would be incredibly useful - the lack of such possibility is extremely limiting. The use case I couldn't find a workaround for is loading custom TopoJSON maps. With external content disabled, visuals so developed cannot be effectively shared.
