---
title: "A Guided Tour of rtables - Advanced"
subtitle: Contributed by Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
date: "2025-12-27"
author:
- Gabriel Becker
- Dan Hofstaedter
output:
    rmarkdown::html_document:
        theme: "spacelab"
        highlight: "kate"
        toc: true
        toc_float: true
vignette: >
  %\VignetteIndexEntry{A Guided Tour of rtables - Advanced}
  %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8}
  %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown}
editor_options:
  markdown:
      wrap: 72
  chunk_output_type: console
---

```{r, include = FALSE}
suggested_dependent_pkgs <- c("dplyr")
knitr::opts_chunk$set(
  collapse = TRUE,
  comment = "#>",
  eval = all(vapply(
    suggested_dependent_pkgs,
    requireNamespace,
    logical(1),
    quietly = TRUE
  ))
)
```

```{r, echo=FALSE}
knitr::opts_chunk$set(comment = "#")
```


# Scope and Audience


We saw in the previous [intermediate](./guided_intermediate.html)
portion of this tour that a well engineered library of analysis, group
summary, and split functions can combine to support a massive array of
different individual tables. Whether we are tasked with maintaining
and extending those libraries or simply with creating custom tables
outside of that supported space, we sometimes need to write new custom
functions. By the end of this portion of the tour we will have the
tools necessary to do that. While gaining those tools, we will also
become more familiar with the structure of `TableTree` objects (how
`rtables` models tables) and how to interact with them once they are
created. 

Upon learning the material in this portion of the training, users will
be able to fully exploit the flexibility and power of the `rtables`
layout and table engines to create virtually any desired table in
cases when their existing function library falls short.


# Chapters

- [Custom Analysis and Group Summary
  Functions](./guided_advanced_afuns.html) Core concepts for creating
  custom analysis and group summary functions
  - [Structure-Conditional Behavior In `afun`s With `.spl_context`](./guided_advanced_afuns_spl_context.html)
    Creating `afun`/`cfun` behavior conditional on location within the
    table structure using `.spl_context` and other optional arguments.
  - [Calling Existing `afun`s Within Custom `afun`s](./guided_advanced_afuns_rowsverticalsection.html) Details
    about what `in_rows` returns and how we can use that to wrap or
    combine existing `afun`s or `cfun`s
  - [Useful Behavioral Building Blocks For Complex Custom
    `afun`s](./guided_advanced_afuns_building_blocks.html) Examples of
    prototypical behaviors which can be reused and combined when
    writing custom `afun`s
- [Custom Split Functions](./guided_advanced_split_funs.html) Core
  concepts for creating custom split functions
  - [Using `make_split_fun` Effectively](./guided_advanced_split_funs_make_split_fun.html) `make_split_fun` and
    recognizing when to specify `pre`, `core`, and `post` behavior
    customizations
  - [Using And Combining Provided Behavior Building
    Blocks](./guided_advanced_split_funs_new_bbbs.html) The split function
    behavior building blocks provided by `rtables` and how to use and
    combine them
  - [Writing Reusable Behavior Building
    Blocks](./guided_advanced_split_funs_new_bbbs.html) Writing new
    custom split function behaviors so that they are reusable
  - [Some Complex Worked
    Examples](./guided_advanced_split_funs_worked_ex.html) Combining
    these topics to create complex custom split functions
- [Understanding and Interacting With `TableTree`
  Objects](./guided_advanced_tt.html) Understanding how `rtables`
  models tables and how to interact with them after creation
  - [Table Structure and Pathing](./pathing.html) Table structure and
    describing locations within a table via pathing (existing
    vignette)
  - [Accessing Values Within A
    Table](./guided_advanced_tt_access.html) Retrieving values
    from a table
  - [Writing Custom Scoring Functions For
    Sorting](./guided_advanced_tt_score_funs.html) Writing custom
    scoring functions for use with `sort_at_path`
  - [Writing Custom Pruning
    Functions](./guided_advanced_tt_prune_funs.html) Writing custom
    pruning functions for use with `prune_table`