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Mask a multi-table set with cross-table-consistent aliasing

Source: R/mask_set.R
mask_set.Rd

The set-level counterpart to mask(). Takes a folder of tabular files, an Excel workbook, or a named list of data frames and produces one synthetic table per input table plus a single private recipe bundle. Columns that are shared across tables - a site code, a genotype name, a plot id appearing in several tables - are aliased identically everywhere they occur, so a join written against the synthetic set still resolves on the masked data.

Usage

mask_set(
  input,
  roles = NULL,
  links = NULL,
  mode = c("local", "collaborate"),
  seed = NULL,
  clean = c("auto", "report", "off"),
  alias_names = FALSE,
  conditional = FALSE,
  quiet = FALSE
)

Arguments

input

A folder path, an .xlsx / .xls path, or a named list of data frames - anything read_set() accepts.

roles

Optional named list of roles tables, one per input table (names must match). When NULL (default), propose_roles() runs on each table for the chosen mode. Supply edited tables for full control.

Optional override for link detection: a character vector of column names to treat as cross-table links, or FALSE to disable linking entirely (each table masked independently). When NULL (default), links are detected automatically.

mode

Either "local" or "collaborate". When omitted and roles are supplied, inherit their common mode. Tables prepared for different modes must be reconciled explicitly. Otherwise default to "local".

seed

Optional integer for reproducibility.

clean

Hygiene mode passed to clean_table() for every table ("auto", "report", or "off").

alias_names

Hide column names. FALSE (default) keeps them; TRUE aliases every non-link column (linked join keys keep their names so the synthetic set stays joinable).

conditional

Logical scalar (default FALSE). Passed through to each per-table mask() call: when TRUE, every table's numeric block is re-simulated within its own treatment-by-design strata so the treatment-to-outcome relationship survives the clone. See mask() for the full account.

quiet

Logical; suppress the link / hygiene report.

Value

A masque_set S7 object. Use synthetic() for the named list of synthetic tables and recipe() for the private recipe bundle.

A link is a column name that appears in two or more tables with a compatible kind and overlapping values - the join keys of the set. mask_set() proposes links automatically and prints them; pass links to override. Linked columns are aliased in place with a shared map (built over the union of values across all tables), so identical original values map to identical aliases in every table. Set a linked column's action to keep in its roles table to pass it through unmasked instead.

See also

mask(), read_set(), write_set().

Examples

tables <- list(
  plots = data.frame(
    site = c("A", "A", "B", "B"),
    gen = c("x", "y", "x", "y"),
    yield = c(3.1, 2.9, 4.0, 3.7)
  ),
  sites = data.frame(
    site = c("A", "B"),
    rainfall = c(420, 560)
  )
)
m <- mask_set(tables, mode = "collaborate", seed = 1, quiet = TRUE)
synthetic(m)$plots$site
#> [1] "A" "A" "B" "B"
synthetic(m)$sites$site # same aliases -> the join still works
#> [1] "A" "B"