R Visual looks different in PowerBI Desktop compared to Online

[ansonge]

Hey guys. I've been using a custom R visual for the past couple of months without any problems but today, my visual has changed dramatically. If I use PowerBI Desktop, the visual looks fine (second picture). However, when viewing the same visual online, it looks like the first picture. Has Microsoft made any major changes to R visuals lately? 

 Edit: I'm using the wordcloud library. 

[v-juanli-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @ansonge@Anonymous

There was a bug fix a little while ago that appears to have unintentionally led to this regression. We already know the fix, we can start right away on getting it deployed, though it may take a little while.

In the meantime if this is causing issues, there is a workaround. You can add the following lines to the beginning of your R script:

if (exists("powerbi_rFontName")){

  library("showtext")

  showtext.opts(dpi = powerbi_rPngDeviceDpi)

  showtext.auto()

}

I created a PBIX with 2 R visuals, 1 without the fix and one with. I’ve pasted below 2 screenshots I took: one of the visuals in PBI Desktop, and another of the same pbix once published to service. Once the fix is deployed, these lines can be removed, but they should not cause any issues if you leave them.

Best Regards

Maggie

[pdowie]

Hi Maggie,

Thanks for your input. I have tried the fix you have advised but on line charts, barcharts and cards but it does not seem to effect the problem in any way. Can you advise on a timeline for when your intended long term solution will be put in place?

Kind Regards,

Pd

[frankjf]

Maggie's workaround worked for me on reports and pinned dashboard tiles in Power BI Service. However, if I resize any of those dashboard tiles in Mobile View, the text gets smaller again in both Mobile View and Web View. The only solution to that problem that I could find is to repin the tile from the report and accept the default size of the tile in Mobile View.

@v-juanli-msft, is there an estimated release date or date range for the more permanent fix in Power BI Service?

[Anonymous]

It seems to be an issue with R and PowerBI Service, also having this problem but with a line chart. In fact any chart will display very small font size.

Another post with the same problem.

[ansonge]

Thanks for the headsup, glad it's not just me. I'll keep an eye on that thread.

[v-juanli-msft]

Hi @ansonge

How about changing another web browser or republish the report from desktop to service?

Best Regards

Maggie