Record provenance for a reproducible result. — record

Capture the information needed to regenerate a result: the package version (the code), the R version, the pinned versions of the input datasets used, and a timestamp. Attach the record to an output with attach_provenance() so any number can be traced back to the exact inputs and code that produced it.

Unknown aliases are an error rather than a silent omission, so a provenance record never quietly drops an input it could not resolve.

Usage

record_provenance(
  aliases = NULL,
  inputs = whep::whep_inputs,
  recorded_at = Sys.time()
)

Arguments

aliases: Optional character vector of input aliases to record. When NULL (default), every registered input is recorded.
inputs: Tibble of registered inputs with alias and version columns. Defaults to whep_inputs.
recorded_at: Timestamp for the record. Defaults to the current time; pass a fixed value for reproducible output.

Value

A tibble with one row per recorded input:

recorded_at: When the record was made.
whep_version: Installed package version (the code).
r_version: R version.
input_alias: Input dataset alias.
input_version: Pinned version of that input.

Examples

prov <- record_provenance(
  aliases = "bilateral_trade",
  recorded_at = as.POSIXct("2026-01-01", tz = "UTC")
)
prov
#> # A tibble: 1 × 5
#>   recorded_at         whep_version r_version input_alias     input_version      
#>   <dttm>              <chr>        <chr>     <chr>           <chr>              
#> 1 2026-01-01 00:00:00 0.3.0.9000   4.6.1     bilateral_trade 20250714T123347Z-2…