Rows & Page Layout

fr_rows() controls how data flows across pages. fr_page(), fr_pagehead(), and fr_pagefoot() control the physical page.

`page_by`: separate pages per parameter

vs_wk24 <- tbl_vs[tbl_vs$timepoint == "Week 24",
                   c("param", "statistic", "placebo_value",
                     "zom_50mg_value", "zom_100mg_value")]
spec <- vs_wk24 |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(param = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(page_by = "param")

Each unique value of param gets its own page section. The label appears as a header above each section.

Styling page_by labels

Page_by labels are plain text by default. Style them with rows = "page_by":

spec <- vs_wk24 |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(param = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(page_by = "param") |>
  fr_styles(
    fr_row_style(rows = "page_by", bold = TRUE)
  )

Set study-wide defaults via fr_theme():

fr_theme(page_by_style = list(bold = TRUE, align = "left"))

SAS: BY param; in PROC REPORT with #BYVAL in titles.

`group_by` and `blank_after`

spec <- tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(group = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(group_by = "group", blank_after = "group")

group_by keeps groups together during pagination. blank_after inserts an empty row after each group.

`indent_by`: SOC/PT hierarchies

spec <- tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(
    soc      = fr_col(visible = FALSE),
    pt       = fr_col("SOC / Preferred Term", width = 3.0),
    row_type = fr_col(visible = FALSE)
  ) |>
  fr_rows(group_by = "soc", indent_by = "pt")

SOC / Preferred Term	placebo	zom_50mg	zom_100mg	total
SUBJECTS WITH >=1 TEAE	44 (97.8)	44 (97.8)	45 (100.0)	133 (98.5)
Gastrointestinal disorders	17 (37.8)	28 (62.2)	27 (60.0)	72 (53.3)
Nausea	5 (11.1)	10 (22.2)	9 (20.0)	24 (17.8)
Vomiting	1 (2.2)	6 (13.3)	11 (24.4)	18 (13.3)
Diarrhoea	2 (4.4)	7 (15.6)	8 (17.8)	17 (12.6)
Flatulence	5 (11.1)	5 (11.1)	3 (6.7)	13 (9.6)
Abdominal pain upper	4 (8.9)	2 (4.4)	5 (11.1)	11 (8.1)
Dyspepsia	1 (2.2)	4 (8.9)	2 (4.4)	7 (5.2)
Constipation	1 (2.2)	2 (4.4)	3 (6.7)	6 (4.4)
Nervous system disorders	14 (31.1)	24 (53.3)	26 (57.8)	64 (47.4)
Headache	6 (13.3)	7 (15.6)	7 (15.6)	20 (14.8)
Dizziness	2 (4.4)	9 (20.0)	9 (20.0)	20 (14.8)
Tremor	3 (6.7)	7 (15.6)	2 (4.4)	12 (8.9)
Somnolence	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	8 (17.8)	12 (8.9)
Insomnia	3 (6.7)	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	10 (7.4)
Paraesthesia	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	2 (4.4)	6 (4.4)
Infections and infestations	21 (46.7)	15 (33.3)	15 (33.3)	51 (37.8)
Nasopharyngitis	11 (24.4)	6 (13.3)	4 (8.9)	21 (15.6)
Urinary tract infection	4 (8.9)	5 (11.1)	4 (8.9)	13 (9.6)
Upper respiratory tract infection	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	5 (11.1)	12 (8.9)
Influenza	5 (11.1)	1 (2.2)	2 (4.4)	8 (5.9)
Bronchitis	1 (2.2)	2 (4.4)	4 (8.9)	7 (5.2)
General disorders and administration site conditions	16 (35.6)	14 (31.1)	15 (33.3)	45 (33.3)
Fatigue	10 (22.2)	6 (13.3)	4 (8.9)	20 (14.8)
Asthenia	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	9 (20.0)	16 (11.9)
Pyrexia	2 (4.4)	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	9 (6.7)
Peripheral oedema	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	8 (5.9)
Vascular disorders	11 (24.4)	20 (44.4)	11 (24.4)	42 (31.1)
Hypertension	6 (13.3)	8 (17.8)	2 (4.4)	16 (11.9)
Hot flush	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	4 (8.9)	11 (8.1)
Hypotension	1 (2.2)	4 (8.9)	5 (11.1)	10 (7.4)
Flushing	3 (6.7)	5 (11.1)	0	8 (5.9)
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders	11 (24.4)	13 (28.9)	17 (37.8)	41 (30.4)
Rhinorrhoea	7 (15.6)	3 (6.7)	5 (11.1)	15 (11.1)
Cough	2 (4.4)	5 (11.1)	5 (11.1)	12 (8.9)
Epistaxis	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	4 (8.9)	8 (5.9)
Dyspnoea	0	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	7 (5.2)
Oropharyngeal pain	1 (2.2)	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	5 (3.7)
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders	10 (22.2)	13 (28.9)	16 (35.6)	39 (28.9)
Back pain	5 (11.1)	5 (11.1)	10 (22.2)	20 (14.8)
Myalgia	3 (6.7)	6 (13.3)	2 (4.4)	11 (8.1)
Arthralgia	2 (4.4)	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	9 (6.7)
Pain in extremity	3 (6.7)	0	2 (4.4)	5 (3.7)
Psychiatric disorders	15 (33.3)	12 (26.7)	11 (24.4)	38 (28.1)
Anxiety	6 (13.3)	4 (8.9)	4 (8.9)	14 (10.4)
Confusional state	4 (8.9)	3 (6.7)	2 (4.4)	9 (6.7)
Agitation	3 (6.7)	2 (4.4)	4 (8.9)	9 (6.7)
Depression	2 (4.4)	4 (8.9)	2 (4.4)	8 (5.9)
Hallucination	1 (2.2)	1 (2.2)	0	2 (1.5)
Cardiac disorders	13 (28.9)	11 (24.4)	12 (26.7)	36 (26.7)
Palpitations	5 (11.1)	4 (8.9)	1 (2.2)	10 (7.4)
Bradycardia	3 (6.7)	2 (4.4)	4 (8.9)	9 (6.7)
Tachycardia	1 (2.2)	4 (8.9)	3 (6.7)	8 (5.9)
Extrasystoles	3 (6.7)	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	7 (5.2)
Atrial fibrillation	2 (4.4)	1 (2.2)	4 (8.9)	7 (5.2)
Metabolism and nutrition disorders	12 (26.7)	11 (24.4)	12 (26.7)	35 (25.9)
Dehydration	5 (11.1)	4 (8.9)	5 (11.1)	14 (10.4)
Decreased appetite	2 (4.4)	5 (11.1)	3 (6.7)	10 (7.4)
Weight decreased	4 (8.9)	2 (4.4)	1 (2.2)	7 (5.2)
Hypokalaemia	3 (6.7)	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	7 (5.2)
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders	8 (17.8)	10 (22.2)	17 (37.8)	35 (25.9)
Rash	3 (6.7)	3 (6.7)	9 (20.0)	15 (11.1)
Hyperhidrosis	1 (2.2)	1 (2.2)	9 (20.0)	11 (8.1)
Pruritus	2 (4.4)	6 (13.3)	1 (2.2)	9 (6.7)
Dermatitis	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	1 (2.2)	5 (3.7)
Dry skin	1 (2.2)	0	2 (4.4)	3 (2.2)
Investigations	6 (13.3)	10 (22.2)	10 (22.2)	26 (19.3)
Weight increased	2 (4.4)	5 (11.1)	5 (11.1)	12 (8.9)
Blood creatinine increased	4 (8.9)	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	8 (5.9)
Alanine aminotransferase increased	0	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	7 (5.2)
Renal and urinary disorders	7 (15.6)	10 (22.2)	8 (17.8)	25 (18.5)
Incontinence	4 (8.9)	6 (13.3)	0	10 (7.4)
Nocturia	2 (4.4)	3 (6.7)	3 (6.7)	8 (5.9)
Dysuria	0	1 (2.2)	4 (8.9)	5 (3.7)
Pollakiuria	1 (2.2)	2 (4.4)	1 (2.2)	4 (3.0)
Reproductive system and breast disorders	8 (17.8)	8 (17.8)	7 (15.6)	23 (17.0)
Erectile dysfunction	3 (6.7)	4 (8.9)	3 (6.7)	10 (7.4)
Menstrual disorder	2 (4.4)	5 (11.1)	2 (4.4)	9 (6.7)
Gynaecomastia	4 (8.9)	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	8 (5.9)
Eye disorders	7 (15.6)	9 (20.0)	6 (13.3)	22 (16.3)
Conjunctivitis	2 (4.4)	6 (13.3)	2 (4.4)	10 (7.4)
Dry eye	3 (6.7)	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	7 (5.2)
Vision blurred	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	1 (2.2)	5 (3.7)
Lacrimation increased	0	3 (6.7)	1 (2.2)	4 (3.0)
Ear and labyrinth disorders	6 (13.3)	8 (17.8)	8 (17.8)	22 (16.3)
Tinnitus	1 (2.2)	5 (11.1)	6 (13.3)	12 (8.9)
Vertigo	4 (8.9)	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	8 (5.9)
Ear pain	1 (2.2)	1 (2.2)	0	2 (1.5)
Blood and lymphatic system disorders	4 (8.9)	7 (15.6)	7 (15.6)	18 (13.3)
Anaemia	2 (4.4)	5 (11.1)	3 (6.7)	10 (7.4)
Leukopenia	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	1 (2.2)	5 (3.7)
Thrombocytopenia	1 (2.2)	0	3 (6.7)	4 (3.0)
Hepatobiliary disorders	5 (11.1)	5 (11.1)	8 (17.8)	18 (13.3)
Hepatic enzyme increased	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	3 (6.7)	7 (5.2)
Cholelithiasis	2 (4.4)	2 (4.4)	3 (6.7)	7 (5.2)
Hepatic steatosis	1 (2.2)	1 (2.2)	3 (6.7)	5 (3.7)

/tmp/RtmpKCCmfM/callr-scr-6801c6b2366e9 01APR2026 11:29:34

indent_by indents the named column’s values by 2 characters beneath the group header. SOC terms appear flush-left; PTs are indented.

Multi-level indent

For deeper hierarchies (SOC / HLT / PT), pass a named list with a key column that determines indent level per row:

ae_hierarchy <- data.frame(
  soc      = rep("Gastrointestinal disorders", 5),
  term     = c("Gastrointestinal disorders", "GI signs and symptoms",
               "Nausea", "Vomiting", "Diarrhoea"),
  row_type = c("soc", "hlt", "pt", "pt", "pt"),
  total    = c("72 (53.3)", "54 (40.0)", "24 (17.8)", "18 (13.3)", "12 (8.9)"),
  stringsAsFactors = FALSE
)

spec <- ae_hierarchy |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(
    soc      = fr_col(visible = FALSE),
    row_type = fr_col(visible = FALSE),
    term     = fr_col("SOC / HLT / Preferred Term", width = 3.5),
    total    = fr_col("Total\nn (%)")
  ) |>
  fr_rows(
    group_by  = "soc",
    indent_by = list(
      key    = "row_type",
      col    = "term",
      levels = c(soc = 0, hlt = 1, pt = 2)
    )
  )

Each level adds 2 space-character widths (~0.17 in at 9pt). SOC rows get 0 indent, HLT rows get 1 level, PT rows get 2 levels.

`group_label`: auto-inject group headers

When group names and display values live in separate columns (e.g., demographics where "Sex" is the group and "Male" / "Female" are the statistics), group_label auto-injects the group value as a header row in the target display column:

demog_long <- data.frame(
  variable = c("Sex", "Sex", "Age (years)", "Age (years)", "Age (years)"),
  stat     = c("Female", "Male", "Mean (SD)", "Median", "Min, Max"),
  value    = c("27 (60.0)", "18 (40.0)", "75.0 (6.8)", "74.0", "65, 88"),
  stringsAsFactors = FALSE
)

spec <- demog_long |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(variable = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(
    group_by = list(cols = "variable", label = "stat")
  )

This inserts "Sex" and "Age (years)" as header rows in the stat column at each group boundary. Detail rows are automatically indented underneath (when indent_by is not set, it is inferred from label).

Styling group headers

Bold group headers with group_style:

spec <- demog_long |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(variable = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(
    group_by = list(cols = "variable", label = "stat"),
    group_style = list(bold = TRUE)
  )

For full control, use fr_styles() with rows = "group_headers":

spec <- demog_long |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(variable = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(group_by = list(cols = "variable", label = "stat")) |>
  fr_styles(
    fr_row_style(rows = "group_headers", bold = TRUE, background = "#F0F0F0")
  )

Both approaches work for leaf hierarchies too. Target specific levels with per-level group_style or rows = "group_headers:soc":

fr_rows(
  group_by = list(cols = c("soc", "pt"), leaf = "pt"),
  group_style = list(soc = list(bold = TRUE))
)

`group_keep`: visual-only grouping

By default, group_by keeps groups together on the same page. Set group_keep = FALSE for visual-only grouping (indent, group headers) without page-keeping — useful for long groups where you want the renderer to break freely:

spec <- tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(group = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(group_by = "group", group_keep = FALSE)

`wrap`: text wrapping in body cells

For listings with long text fields, set wrap = TRUE to enable text wrapping in body cells. Without wrapping, long values overflow the cell boundary; with it, the cell grows vertically to fit:

adae[1:10, c("USUBJID", "AEBODSYS", "AEDECOD", "AEOUT")] |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_rows(wrap = TRUE)

wrap pairs naturally with suppress on listings where the first column (e.g., subject ID) should appear only once per block:

adae[1:30, c("USUBJID", "AEBODSYS", "AEDECOD", "AESEV", "ASTDT")] |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_rows(
    sort_by     = c("USUBJID", "AEBODSYS", "AEDECOD"),
    suppress = c("USUBJID", "AEBODSYS"),
    wrap        = TRUE
  )

Hidden page breaks

Use the list form of page_by with visible = FALSE to get page breaks at group boundaries without a visible label above the headers:

spec <- tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(soc = fr_col(visible = FALSE),
          row_type = fr_col(visible = FALSE)) |>
  fr_rows(page_by = list(cols = "soc", visible = FALSE))

Combining row features

spec <- tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_cols(
    soc      = fr_col(visible = FALSE),
    pt       = fr_col("SOC / PT", width = 3.0),
    row_type = fr_col(visible = FALSE),
    placebo  = fr_col("Placebo"),
    zom_50mg = fr_col("Zomerane 50mg"),
    zom_100mg = fr_col("Zomerane 100mg"),
    total    = fr_col("Total")
  ) |>
  fr_rows(group_by = "soc", indent_by = "pt")

`sort_by` and `suppress`

For listings, sort_by controls row order and suppress suppresses repeated values:

ae_list <- adae[1:20, c("USUBJID", "ARM", "AEDECOD", "AESEV")]
spec <- ae_list |>
  fr_listing() |>
  fr_rows(sort_by = c("ARM", "USUBJID"),
          suppress = "ARM")

suppress only prints the value when it changes (like NOREPEAT in SAS).

Page configuration

spec <- tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_page(
    orientation = "landscape",
    paper       = "letter",
    font_family = "Times New Roman",
    font_size   = 9,
    margins     = c(top = 1.0, right = 0.75, bottom = 1.0, left = 0.75)
  )
pg <- fr_get_page(spec)
pg$orientation
#> [1] "landscape"

These are the package defaults — you only need fr_page() when overriding.

Orphan and widow control

orphan_min and widow_min prevent isolated rows at page boundaries. orphan_min (default 3L) is the minimum number of body rows that must remain at the bottom of a page before a group; if fewer would remain, the entire group moves to the next page. widow_min (default 3L) is the minimum number of rows that must carry over to the top of the next page:

spec <- tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_rows(group_by = "soc") |>
  fr_page(orphan_min = 2L, widow_min = 2L)

Set either to 1L to disable the corresponding control. These settings only take effect when group_by is active.

Custom fonts for PDF: Set ARFRAME_FONT_DIR to a directory of .ttf/.otf files and XeLaTeX discovers them by name — no system-wide installation needed. See vignette("automation") for Docker/CI examples.

Margin formats

Format	Meaning
`margins = 1.0`	All four margins = 1 inch
`margins = c(1.0, 0.75)`	Top/bottom = 1, left/right = 0.75
`margins = c(1.0, 0.75, 1.0, 0.75)`	Top, right, bottom, left
`margins = list(top = 1, ...)`	Named list

Running headers and footers

spec <- tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_pagehead(
    left  = "Protocol TFRM-2024-001",
    right = "CONFIDENTIAL"
  ) |>
  fr_pagefoot(
    left   = "{program}",
    center = "{datetime}",
    right  = "Page {thepage} of {total_pages}"
  )

Protocol TFRM-2024-001 CONFIDENTIAL

characteristic	placebo	zom_50mg	zom_100mg	total	group
Subjects, n	45	45	45	135	n
Age (years)					age_cont
Mean (SD)	75.0 (6.75)	73.1 (8.43)	75.3 (7.09)	74.4 (7.46)	age_cont
Median	74.0	74.0	73.0	74.0	age_cont
Min, Max	65.0, 88.0	55.0, 88.0	55.0, 88.0	55.0, 88.0	age_cont
Age Group, n (%)					age_cat
<65	0	7 (15.6)	1 (2.2)	8 (5.9)	age_cat
65-80	36 (80.0)	29 (64.4)	31 (68.9)	96 (71.1)	age_cat
>80	9 (20.0)	9 (20.0)	13 (28.9)	31 (23.0)	age_cat
Sex, n (%)					sex
Female	27 (60.0)	28 (62.2)	20 (44.4)	75 (55.6)	sex
Male	18 (40.0)	17 (37.8)	25 (55.6)	60 (44.4)	sex
Race, n (%)					race
White	38 (84.4)	32 (71.1)	35 (77.8)	105 (77.8)	race
Black or African American	1 (2.2)	5 (11.1)	5 (11.1)	11 (8.1)	race
Asian	6 (13.3)	6 (13.3)	5 (11.1)	17 (12.6)	race
American Indian or Alaska Native	0	2 (4.4)	0	2 (1.5)	race
BMI (kg/m2)					bmi
Mean (SD)	27.1 (4.76)	26.5 (4.60)	24.9 (5.81)	26.1 (5.13)	bmi
Median	27.8	25.9	24.6	25.8	bmi
Min, Max	18.7, 42.3	17.3, 36.5	14.2, 44.5	14.2, 44.5	bmi
MMSE Score at Baseline					mmse
Mean (SD)	19.9 (3.51)	19.8 (3.36)	19.5 (3.55)	19.7 (3.45)	mmse
Median	20.0	20.0	19.0	20.0	mmse
Min, Max	13.0, 26.0	13.0, 26.0	13.0, 26.0	13.0, 26.0	mmse
Study Completion, n (%)					completion
Completed	44 (97.8)	41 (91.1)	37 (82.2)	122 (90.4)	completion
Discontinued	1 (2.2)	4 (8.9)	8 (17.8)	13 (9.6)	completion

/tmp/RtmpKCCmfM/callr-scr-6801c6b2366e9 01APR2026 11:29:34 Page 1 of 1

Built-in tokens

Token	Value
`{thepage}`	Current page number
`{total_pages}`	Total page count
`{program}`	Source file name
`{datetime}`	Render timestamp

Custom tokens

spec <- tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_page(tokens = list(study = "TFRM-2024-001", cutoff = "15MAR2025")) |>
  fr_pagefoot(left = "Study: {study}", right = "Cutoff: {cutoff}")

SAS: TITLE j=l "Protocol..." j=r "CONFIDENTIAL"; and FOOTNOTE j=l "&_SASPROGRAMFILE" j=r "Page ^{thispage} of ^{lastpage}";

ICH E3 compliance mapping

ICH E3 Requirement	arframe Feature
Study ID on every page	`fr_pagehead(left = "Study TFRM-2024-001")`
Table number and title	`fr_titles("Table 14.1.1", "Demographics...")`
Population label	Third title line
Treatment arm N-counts	`fr_cols(.n = ..., .n_format = ...)`
Page numbering	`fr_pagefoot(right = "Page {thepage} of {total_pages}")`
Program name	`fr_pagefoot(left = "{program}")`
Continuation label	`fr_page(continuation = "(continued)")`
Footnotes/abbreviations	`fr_footnotes(...)`

Continuation text

For multi-page tables, continuation appends text to titles on page 2+:

spec <- tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_titles("Table 14.3.1", "TEAEs by SOC and Preferred Term") |>
  fr_page(continuation = "(continued)")

Section spacing

fr_spacing() controls blank lines between structural sections:

spec <- tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_spacing(
    titles_after     = 1,
    footnotes_before = 1,
    pagehead_after   = 0,
    pagefoot_before  = 0,
    page_by_after    = 1
  )

page_by: separate pages per parameter