NEWS

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easytable 2.1.1 (2026-05-12)

This is the first CRAN submission version of easytable.

Compared with the earlier GitHub and Zenodo 2.1.0 release, this version includes minor bug fixes, documentation updates, and CRAN-requested formatting changes.

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easytable 2.1.0

Minor Updates

• pkgdown installation instructions now use the R-universe repository path.
• pkgdown reference navigation now focuses on easytable(), format_word(), and format_latex().
• Scientific-notation display, interaction-term rendering, and Word layout were refined for small or large estimates.

Breaking Changes

• Removed markdown output mode from easytable(). Supported outputs are now "word" (default) and "latex".

• Renamed CSV export argument:

  • Old: csv
  • New: export.csv (must end with .csv)

New Features

• Direct Word file export with new export.word argument (must end with .docx).

  • Example: easytable(m1, m2, export.word = "mytable.docx")

• Interaction term wrapping in term column: interaction labels now wrap after * to reduce table width (e.g., x1 * on one line, x2 on the next line).

Formatting and Consistency

• Word/HTML and LaTeX alignment improved:
  • Shared measure-row detection for divider placement
  • Single divider between coefficient block and model-stat block
  • Zebra striping constrained to coefficient block only

Documentation

• Rewrote README.md around a clearer user promise: easy to use, easy to read.
• Added a dedicated penguins tutorial vignette: penguins-tutorial.
• Added a developer roadmap vignette: developer-roadmap.
• Added architecture and maintenance guides:
  • DESIGN_PHILOSOPHY.md
  • AI_NOTES.md
• Reorganized _pkgdown.yml navigation and article structure.
• Added LICENSE.md so the MIT license text is human-readable in the repository.

Testing Infrastructure

• Added tests/README.md with a deterministic, CI-safe testing protocol.
• Added tests/run-tests.R with a committed core profile.
• Added tests/testthat/helper-testing-profiles.R for environment-aware test skipping.
• Added tests/testthat/test-design-invariants.R to lock key table invariants.

API and Validation UX

• Added validate_output_format() to provide friendly, explicit output-format validation.
• Reworded key validation errors to be more beginner-friendly and actionable.

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easytable 2.0.1

New Features

• Direct model interface: New easytable() function accepts model objects directly through dots, like easytable(m1, m2, m3). This provides a more intuitive API for multiple model input.

• Default model naming: Model columns are now automatically named "Model 1", "Model 2", etc. when using the new easytable() interface.

• Custom model names: Added model.names parameter to specify custom column names for models. Example: easytable(m1, m2, model.names = c("Baseline", "Full"))

• Enhanced term label formatting: Term labels are now automatically formatted for improved readability:

  • Factor levels separated with colon (e.g., digital_confidence:low)
  • Interactions displayed with asterisk and spaces (e.g., var1 * var2)
  • Polynomial contrasts shown as L indices (e.g., var:L1 for .Q, var:L2 for .L)
  • Common variable names abbreviated (e.g., fin.prud for financial_prudence)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed markdown output: Resolved issue with stray vertical bars appearing inside table cells. Markdown tables now use <br> for line breaks within cells, ensuring proper rendering.

• Improved markdown formatting: Ensured coefficient formatting (stars, standard errors) is consistent across markdown and LaTeX output formats.

Backward Compatibility

• The original easy_table() function with list-based interface remains fully functional for backward compatibility.

• All existing code using easy_table(list(Model1 = m1, Model2 = m2)) continues to work without changes.

Migration from 2.0.0

Most users can adopt the new interface immediately:

# Old way (still works)
models <- list(Model1 = m1, Model2 = m2)
easy_table(models)

# New way (recommended)
easytable(m1, m2)

# With custom names
easytable(m1, m2, model.names = c("Model1", "Model2"))

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easytable 2.0.0

Major Changes

This is a complete rewrite of easytable with breaking changes. Version 2.0.0 modernizes the package architecture and dramatically expands functionality.

New Features

• Multi-format output: Now supports Word (via flextable), Markdown (for Quarto/RMarkdown), and LaTeX/PDF output

  • New output parameter: "word", "markdown", or "latex"
  • Default remains "word" for backward compatibility

• Modular architecture: Complete refactor into clean, maintainable modules

  • parse_models.R: Extract coefficients and statistics
  • transform_table.R: Handle control variables and organization
  • format_word.R, format_markdown.R, format_latex.R: Format-specific renderers
  • validators.R: Comprehensive input validation

• Enhanced validation: Informative error messages with clear guidance

  • Validates model types and structure
  • Checks for required packages and provides installation instructions
  • Warns about control variables not found in models

• Better dependency management:

  • Only core dependencies (broom, dplyr, magrittr) are always loaded
  • Format-specific packages loaded conditionally
  • Clear error messages when optional packages are missing

Breaking Changes

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The following changes may affect existing code:

1. Removed runtime installation (CRITICAL SECURITY FIX)

   • OLD: Package automatically installed missing dependencies
   • NEW: Users must install dependencies themselves
   • If you get an error about missing packages, install them with:

     install.packages(c("flextable", "lmtest", "sandwich", "margins"))
     

2. Function parameter changes

   • OLD: F and T were accepted
   • NEW: Must use FALSE and TRUE (best practice)
   • This shouldn't affect most code, but if you passed variables named F or T, they won't work

3. Improved join operations

   • Fixed warnings from dplyr about unspecified join columns
   • No user-facing changes, but cleaner console output

Bug Fixes

• Fixed control variable regex bug: Previously, searching for control variable "hp" would also match "hpq". Now uses word boundaries for exact matching.

• Fixed deduplication issue: Improved handling of duplicate control variable rows (previously noted as "slight problem" in code)

• Explicit namespace calls: All function calls use explicit namespaces (e.g., dplyr::filter) to prevent masking issues

• Better handling of GLM models: Improved extraction of fit statistics for generalized linear models

Documentation

• Comprehensive README: Installation, quick start, and feature overview
• Detailed vignette: vignette("easytable-intro") with working examples
• Function documentation: Complete roxygen2 documentation with examples
• Developer guide: AI_NOTES.md with architecture and contributor guidelines

Testing

• Full test coverage:
  • Unit tests for all modules
  • Integration tests for full pipeline
  • Tests for all output formats and parameter combinations
  • Using testthat framework

Performance

• Modular design enables easier maintenance and future enhancements
• Conditional loading of packages reduces memory footprint
• Cleaner code with proper separation of concerns

Migration Guide: 0.1.0 → 2.0.0

If You're Using Basic Features

Good news: Most basic usage should work without changes!

# This still works exactly the same
easy_table(model_list)

If You Had Issues with Missing Packages

Old behavior (0.1.0):

# Package would auto-install dependencies (security risk!)
easy_table(models)
# Installing package into '~/R/library'...

New behavior (2.0.0):

# Get clear error with installation instructions
easy_table(models)
# Error: Package 'flextable' is required for Word output.
#   Install it with: install.packages('flextable')

# You install once:
install.packages("flextable")

# Then use normally:
easy_table(models)

If You Want Markdown or LaTeX Output

New in 2.0.0:

# Markdown for Quarto/RMarkdown
easy_table(models, output = "markdown")

# LaTeX for PDF
easy_table(models, output = "latex")

If You're Using Advanced Features

All advanced features work the same way:

# Robust SE - still works
easy_table(models, robust.se = TRUE)

# Marginal effects - still works
easy_table(models, margins = TRUE)

# Control variables - still works (now with fixed regex bug!)
easy_table(models, control.var = c("species", "island"))

# Highlighting - still works
easy_table(models, highlight = TRUE)

# CSV export - still works
easy_table(models, csv = "results")

Package Dependencies

Install what you need:

# For basic usage (Word output)
install.packages(c("broom", "dplyr", "flextable"))

# For robust standard errors
install.packages(c("lmtest", "sandwich"))

# For marginal effects
install.packages("margins")

# For Markdown/LaTeX output
install.packages("knitr")
install.packages("kableExtra")  # optional, for enhanced formatting

What Stays the Same

✅ Function name: easy_table() ✅ Default behavior: Word output via flextable ✅ Parameter names: robust.se, margins, control.var, highlight, csv ✅ Model support: lm, glm ✅ Significance stars: *** p < .01, ** p < .05, * p < .1 ✅ Model fit statistics: N, R sq., Adj. R sq., AIC (glm only)

What's Different

🔄 Must install dependencies manually (no more auto-install) 🆕 New output formats: markdown and latex 🐛 Control variable matching now works correctly 📚 Much better documentation and examples ✅ Comprehensive test coverage 🏗️ Cleaner, more maintainable code architecture

Detailed Changes by Component

Parse Models (R/parse_models.R)

• Extracted from monolithic function
• Added parse_single_model() for individual model parsing
• Added format_coefficients() for significance star formatting
• Added extract_model_measures() for fit statistics
• Added parse_models() for multi-model parsing
• All functions properly documented with roxygen2

Transform Table (R/transform_table.R)

• Added collapse_control_vars() with fixed regex patterns
• Added mark_control_vars() for Y indicators
• Added deduplicate_control_vars() for cleaning duplicates
• Added sort_table() for proper ordering
• Added separate_measures() for bottom placement
• Added transform_table() as main orchestrator

Format Renderers

• Word (R/format_word.R): Extracted and cleaned flextable code
• Markdown (R/format_markdown.R): NEW - knitr/kableExtra support
• LaTeX (R/format_latex.R): NEW - LaTeX with booktabs

Validators (R/validators.R)

• Added validate_model_list() with clear error messages
• Added validate_model_types() for supported model checking
• Added validate_control_vars() with warnings for missing vars
• Added validate_parameters() for type checking
• Added dependency checkers for all optional features

Main Function (R/easytab.R)

• Complete rewrite using modular components
• Added output parameter with validation
• Integrated validators → parser → transformer → formatter pipeline
• Comprehensive roxygen2 documentation with examples
• Maintains backward compatibility

Future Roadmap

The modular architecture in 2.0.0 makes it easy to add:

• New model types: plm (panel data), fixest (fixed effects), survival models
• New output formats: HTML tables, gt tables, custom formats
• Theme system: Customizable table styling
• More statistics: Confidence intervals, standardized coefficients
• Enhanced features: Multi-equation models, nested model tests

Credits

• Original package: Alfredo Hernandez Sanchez
• 2.0.0 rewrite: Comprehensive modernization and expansion
• Testing data: Palmer Penguins dataset (Horst et al.)

Feedback

Found a bug? Have a feature request? Please open an issue on GitHub: https://github.com/alfredo-hs/easytable/issues

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easytable 0.1.0

Initial release (2024)

• Basic functionality for creating Word regression tables
• Support for lm and glm models
• Robust standard errors via lmtest/sandwich
• Marginal effects via margins package
• Control variable grouping
• Highlighting of significant results
• CSV export

Note: Version 0.1.0 had critical issues:

• Runtime package installation (security risk)
• Monolithic code structure (hard to maintain)
• Control variable regex bug
• Limited to Word output only
• No tests or comprehensive documentation

All issues resolved in 2.0.0.