SedonaDB Function Implementation Skill

Use this skill to implement a new sx wrapper function AFTER completing research with the sedona-research skill.

Prerequisites

• Research document exists at .claude/research/sedona/{function_name}.md
• All research checklist items are complete

If research is not complete, STOP and use the sedona-research skill first.

Workflow

1. Review research document

Read .claude/research/sedona/{function_name}.md and extract:

•SQL signature and argument types
•ArgMatcher types from Rust
•sf equivalent and unsupported parameters
•Edge cases to handle

2. Design the R function

Naming convention

•Function name: sx_{snake_case_name} (e.g., sx_buffer, sx_centroid)
•File name: R/sx_{name}.R

Parameter mapping

Map SedonaDB arguments to R parameters:

•Primary geometry: x
•Secondary geometry: y (for binary operations)
•Numeric parameters: Use descriptive names matching sf (e.g., dist for distance)
•Add ... to catch and warn about unsupported sf arguments
•Add standard sx parameters: output, view_name, verbosity
•Add use_s2 if function has geography implications

3. Implement the function

Create R/sx_{name}.R using this template:

#' [Title from SQL Docs]
#'
#' @description
#' [Description from SQL Docs]
#'
#' @param x `r sx_docs("x", role = "[role description]")`
#' @param arg Description from research.
#' @param output `r sx_docs("output")`
#' @param view_name `r sx_docs("view_name")`
#' @param verbosity `r sx_docs("verbosity")`
#' @param use_s2 `r sx_docs("use_s2")`
#' @param ... Ignored. Used to catch and warn about unsupported sf arguments.
#'
#' @return Result (type depends on `output`)
#'
#' @seealso
#' \href{https://sedona.apache.org/latest/api/sql/Function/#st_function}{SedonaDB ST_Function documentation}
#'
#' \code{\link[sf:st_function]{sf::st_function()}}
#'
#' @export
sx_function <- function(
  x,
  arg,
  output = NULL,
  view_name = NULL,
  verbosity = NULL,
  use_s2 = NULL,
  ...
) {
  # Capture ... to check for sf-specific ignored arguments
  dots <- list(...)
  sf_args <- c("unsupported_arg1", "unsupported_arg2")  # From research
  ignored <- intersect(names(dots), sf_args)

  if (length(ignored) > 0) {
    sx_warn(
      "SedonaDB backend ignores sf-specific arguments: {.arg {ignored}}."
    )
  }

  # Capability checks
  if (!is.null(view_name)) {
    sx_require_capability("views", "view_name")
    output <- "view"
  }

  # Handle per-call verbosity override
  if (!is.null(verbosity)) {
    rlang::local_options(sx.verbosity = verbosity)
  }

  # Handle explicit use_s2 override (if applicable)
  if (!is.null(use_s2)) {
    if (!is.logical(use_s2) || length(use_s2) != 1L) {
      cli::cli_abort("{.arg use_s2} must be a logical of length 1 (or NULL).")
    }
    rlang::local_options(sx_temp_use_s2 = use_s2)
  }

  # Prepare inputs using unified funnel
  x_prepared <- sx_prepare_input(x, "x")

  # Setup cleanup
  on.exit(
    {
      if (x_prepared$cleanup) sx_drop_view(x_prepared$view)
    },
    add = TRUE
  )

  x_view <- x_prepared$view
  x_geom <- get_geom_column(x_view)

  # Validate additional arguments (based on ArgMatcher types from research)
  if (!is.numeric(arg) || length(arg) != 1L) {
    cli::cli_abort("{.arg arg} must be a single numeric value.")
  }

  # Build SQL
  sql <- glue::glue(
    "SELECT ST_Function(v1.{x_geom}, {arg}) AS {x_geom}, v1.* EXCLUDE ({x_geom})
     FROM {x_view} v1"
  )

  # Execute query
  res_df <- sx_internal_execute(sql)

  sx_debug("Spatial function applied via SedonaDB.")

  # Handle output
  sx_handle_output(res_df, output, view_name = view_name)
}

4. Write unit tests

Create tests/testthat/test-sx_{name}.R:

test_that("sx_{name} works on planar data", {
  skip_if_no_sedona()

  res <- sx_{name}(nc_5070, arg = value, output = "sf")

  expect_s3_class(res, "sf")
  expect_equal(nrow(res), nrow(nc_5070))
  # Function-specific assertions
})

test_that("sx_{name} handles column name as argument (if applicable)", {
  skip_if_no_sedona()

  # Add test data with column
  test_data <- nc_5070
  test_data$arg_col <- value

  res <- sx_{name}(test_data, arg = "arg_col", output = "sf")

  expect_s3_class(res, "sf")
})

test_that("sx_{name} errors on invalid input", {
  skip_if_no_sedona()

  expect_error(
    sx_{name}(nc_5070, arg = "invalid"),
    "must be"
  )
})

test_that("sx_{name} returns view when requested", {
  skip_if_no_sedona()

  res <- sx_{name}(nc_5070, arg = value, output = "view", view_name = "test_{name}_view")

  expect_true(inherits(res, "sedonadb_dataframe"))

  # Cleanup
  sx_drop_view("test_{name}_view")
})

# Add tests for edge cases from research document

5. Write sf comparison tests

Create tests/testthat/test-sx_vs_sf_{name}.R:

# Cross-verification tests: sx_{name} vs sf::st_{name}
# Ensures sx_{name} produces equivalent results to sf

test_that("sx_{name} matches sf::st_{name} on planar data", {
  skip_if_no_sedona()

  sf_result <- sf::st_{name}(nc_5070, arg = value)
  sx_result <- sx_{name}(nc_5070, arg = value, output = "sf")

  # Compare row counts
  expect_equal(nrow(sx_result), nrow(sf_result))

  # For geometry-returning functions, compare areas or other metrics
  expect_equal(
    as.numeric(sf::st_area(sx_result)),
    as.numeric(sf::st_area(sf_result)),
    tolerance = 0.01  # Account for algorithmic differences
  )
})

test_that("sx_{name} preserves CRS", {
  skip_if_no_sedona()

  result <- sx_{name}(nc_5070, arg = value, output = "sf")

  expect_equal(sf::st_crs(result)$epsg, sf::st_crs(nc_5070)$epsg)
})

6. Run tests and verify

bash

# Run specific tests
Rscript -e "devtools::test(filter = 'sx_{name}')"

# Run sf comparison tests
Rscript -e "devtools::test(filter = 'sx_vs_sf_{name}')"

# Redocument
Rscript -e "devtools::document()"

# Format code
air format .

Implementation checklist

• Research document exists and is complete
• Created R/sx_{name}.R following the template
• Added @seealso link to SedonaDB docs
• Listed unsupported sf arguments with warnings
• Created tests/testthat/test-sx_{name}.R
• Created tests/testthat/test-sx_vs_sf_{name}.R
• All tests pass
• Ran devtools::document()
• Ran air format .

Special cases

Binary operations (two geometries)

For functions like ST_Intersection(A, B):

•Use x and y parameters
•Prepare both inputs with sx_prepare_input()
•Handle CRS alignment if needed
•Clean up both temporary views

x_prepared <- sx_prepare_input(x, "x")
y_prepared <- sx_prepare_input(y, "y")

on.exit({
  if (x_prepared$cleanup) sx_drop_view(x_prepared$view)
  if (y_prepared$cleanup) sx_drop_view(y_prepared$view)
}, add = TRUE)

Aggregate functions

For functions like ST_Union_Agg:

•May need different SQL patterns (GROUP BY)
•Consider returning single geometry vs collection
•Use appropriate window function patterns if needed

Functions with S2/Geography restrictions

•Check sx_internal_use_s2() and sx_internal_is_geographic()
•Add appropriate error messages when not supported
•See R/sx_buffer.R for example:

if (sx_internal_use_s2() && sx_internal_is_geographic(x_df)) {
  cli::cli_abort(c(
    "sx_{name} is not supported for geographic coordinates when S2 is active.",
    "x" = "SedonaDB does not support ST_{Name} on GEOGRAPHY types.",
    "i" = "Please project your data first or disable S2."
  ))
}

Functions with optional arguments

•Use default values matching sf when possible
•Handle NULL values appropriately in SQL
•Document defaults clearly in roxygen

Column name arguments

Some functions accept either a literal value or a column name:

if (is.numeric(arg) && length(arg) == 1L) {
  arg_val <- sprintf("%f", arg)
} else if (is.character(arg) && length(arg) == 1L) {
  # Assume column name, quote and prefix with alias
  arg_val <- glue::glue('v1."{arg}"')
} else {
  cli::cli_abort(
    "{.arg arg} must be a single numeric value or a column name (character)."
  )
}

Reference implementations

•Simple unary operation: R/sx_buffer.R, R/sx_centroid.R
•Binary operation: R/sx_join.R
•Complex operation: R/sx_interpolate_aw.R