Control Spacing Between Table Sections

Sets the number of blank lines inserted between table sections. These gaps provide visual separation between the running header, titles, group label, column headers, body rows, footnotes, and running footer.

The five controllable junctions in the table anatomy:

[Page Header]
  --- pagehead_after ---
Titles
  --- titles_after ---
Page-by Label
  --- page_by_after ---
Column Headers / Body Rows
  --- footnotes_before ---
Footnotes
  --- pagefoot_before ---
[Page Footer]

Calling fr_spacing() replaces only the specified values. Unspecified arguments keep their current value.

Usage

fr_spacing(
  spec,
  titles_after = NULL,
  footnotes_before = NULL,
  pagehead_after = NULL,
  pagefoot_before = NULL,
  page_by_after = NULL
)

Arguments

spec: An fr_spec object from fr_table().
titles_after: Integer. Blank lines between the last title and the column header rule (or page-by label if page_by is set). Default 1L. Set to 0L for no gap.
footnotes_before: Integer. Blank lines between the last body row (or bottom rule) and the first footnote. Default 1L. Set to 0L for no gap.
pagehead_after: Integer. Blank lines between the running page header and the first title. Default 0L (no gap). Set to 1L for one blank line. Only takes effect when a page header is set via fr_pagehead().
pagefoot_before: Integer. Blank lines between the last footnote and the running page footer. Default 0L. Set to 1L or more to add breathing room above the footer. Only takes effect when a page footer is set via fr_pagefoot().
page_by_after: Integer. Blank lines between the page-by label and the column header row. Default 1L. Only takes effect when page_by is set via fr_rows(). Set to 0L for no gap.

Value

A modified fr_spec. Spacing stored in spec$spacing.

Pharma conventions

Standard pharma submission tables (ICH E3, FDA/EMA) typically use one blank line after titles and before footnotes. The package defaults reflect a minimal layout:

titles_after = 1L — one blank line after titles
footnotes_before = 1L — one blank line before footnotes
pagehead_after = 0L — no gap (user decides)
pagefoot_before = 0L — no gap (user decides)
page_by_after = 1L — one blank line after page-by label

YAML configuration

All five spacing values can be set in _arframe.yml:

spacing:
  titles_after: 1
  footnotes_before: 1
  pagehead_after: 0
  pagefoot_before: 0
  page_by_after: 1

Examples

## ── Default spacing (1 blank line at each gap) ───────────────────────────

tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_titles("Table 14.1.1 Demographics", "Safety Population") |>
  fr_footnotes("[a] Percentages based on N in column header.")
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 28 rows x 6 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Titles (2):
#> 1. [center] "Table 14.1.1 Demographics"
#> 2. [center] "Safety Population"
#> Header: valign=bottom
#> Footnotes (1):
#> 1. [left] "[a] Percentages based on N in column header."

## ── No gap after titles (compact layout) ─────────────────────────────────

tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_spacing(titles_after = 0L) |>
  fr_titles("Table 14.1.1 Demographics")
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 28 rows x 6 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Titles (1):
#> 1. [center] "Table 14.1.1 Demographics"
#> Header: valign=bottom

## ── Two blank lines before footnotes ─────────────────────────────────────

tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_spacing(footnotes_before = 2L) |>
  fr_footnotes("[a] Percentages based on N in column header.")
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 28 rows x 6 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Header: valign=bottom
#> Footnotes (1):
#> 1. [left] "[a] Percentages based on N in column header."

## ── Space after group label (page_by) ────────────────────────────────────

tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_rows(page_by = "soc") |>
  fr_spacing(page_by_after = 1L)
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 96 rows x 7 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Header: valign=bottom
#> Rows: page_by=soc

## ── Space before page footer ──────────────────────────────────────────────

tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_pagefoot(left = "{program}", right = "{datetime}") |>
  fr_spacing(pagefoot_before = 1L)
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 28 rows x 6 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Header: valign=bottom

## ── All five spacing parameters in one call ──────────────────────────────

tbl_ae_soc |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_titles("Table 14.3.1 Adverse Events by SOC") |>
  fr_footnotes("[a] MedDRA v26.1.") |>
  fr_rows(page_by = "soc") |>
  fr_pagehead(left = "TFRM-2024-001") |>
  fr_pagefoot(left = "{program}") |>
  fr_spacing(
    titles_after     = 1L,
    footnotes_before = 1L,
    pagehead_after   = 1L,
    pagefoot_before  = 1L,
    page_by_after    = 1L
  )
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 96 rows x 7 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Titles (1):
#> 1. [center] "Table 14.3.1 Adverse Events by SOC"
#> Header: valign=bottom
#> Rows: page_by=soc
#> Footnotes (1):
#> 1. [left] "[a] MedDRA v26.1."

## ── Tight layout: zero spacing everywhere ────────────────────────────────

tbl_demog |>
  fr_table() |>
  fr_titles("Table 14.1.1 Demographics") |>
  fr_footnotes("[a] N = number of subjects.") |>
  fr_spacing(
    titles_after     = 0L,
    footnotes_before = 0L,
    pagehead_after   = 0L,
    pagefoot_before  = 0L,
    page_by_after    = 0L
  )
#> 
#> ── fr_spec: Table 
#> Data: 28 rows x 6 columns
#> Page: landscape letter, 9pt Courier New
#> Titles (1):
#> 1. [center] "Table 14.1.1 Demographics"
#> Header: valign=bottom
#> Footnotes (1):
#> 1. [left] "[a] N = number of subjects."