write_rds: Write a dataset to rds

In artoo: Lossless CDISC-Native Input and Output for Clinical Datasets

Write a dataset to rds

Description

Write a data frame to an R .rds file, preserving its artoo_meta. A thin wrapper over write_dataset() with format = "rds"; the rds carries the metadata both as live R attributes and as the language-agnostic metadata_json string, so read_rds() restores it exactly.

Usage

write_rds(x, path, encoding = NULL)

Arguments

x	The dataset to write. ⁠<data.frame>: required⁠.
path	Destination .rds path. ⁠<character(1)>: required⁠.
encoding	Source charset to record. ⁠<character(1)> | NULL⁠. rds is R-native and faithful: strings are saved as-is, never transcoded. encoding only records the data's original charset in the artoo_meta, so a later write_xpt() can reproduce the source bytes. NULL (default) leaves the recorded encoding untouched. Tip: any SAS or IANA spelling listed by artoo_encodings() is accepted.

Value

The input x, invisibly, so a write can sit mid-pipeline.

See Also

read_rds() for the inverse; write_dataset() for the generic dispatcher.

Examples

spec <- artoo_spec(cdisc_adam_datasets, cdisc_adam_variables, codelists = cdisc_codelists)

# ---- Example 1: write a conformed dataset to rds ----
#
# apply_spec() attaches the metadata; write_rds() carries it into the file.
adsl <- apply_spec(cdisc_adsl, spec, "ADSL", conformance = "off")
path <- tempfile(fileext = ".rds")
write_rds(adsl, path)

# ---- Example 2: round-trip and confirm the metadata survived ----
#
# Reading it back yields an identical artoo_meta.
back <- read_rds(path)
identical(get_meta(back)@columns, get_meta(adsl)@columns)

artoo documentation built on July 23, 2026, 1:08 a.m.