---
title: "Introduction to swelex"
output: rmarkdown::html_vignette
vignette: >
  %\VignetteIndexEntry{Introduction to swelex}
  %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown}
  %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8}
---




``` r
library(swelex)
```

## Overview

swelex provides access to the Swedish Code of Statutes (Svensk
författningssamling, SFS) via the Riksdag's open data API. It returns the
consolidated, up-to-date text of statutes — not the as-originally-enacted
version — matching how Swedish legal practitioners actually use SFS
references.

## Fetching a statute

Every statute has an SFS number in the format `"YYYY:NNN"`. Use
`swe_get_doc()` to retrieve the full document:


``` r
rf <- swe_get_doc("1974:152")
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_get_doc.R:18:3:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS 1974:152.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
rf
#> function (n, df1, df2, ncp) 
#> {
#>     if (missing(ncp)) 
#>         .Call(C_rf, n, df1, df2)
#>     else (rchisq(n, df1, ncp = ncp)/df1)/(rchisq(n, df2)/df2)
#> }
#> <bytecode: 0x5558670f0148>
#> <environment: namespace:stats>
```

The result includes both metadata and the consolidated text. Note
`andrad_tom`, which shows the most recent amendment reflected in the text.

## Searching for statutes

If you don't already know the SFS number, `swe_search()` performs a
relevance-ranked free-text search:


``` r
result <- swe_search(query = "körkort", max_results = 5)
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_search.R:46:5:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS search.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
result[, c("sfs_nr", "titel", "score")]
#> Error:
#> ! object 'result' not found
```

You can also filter by date range or issuing department:


``` r
recent <- swe_search(
  from_date = "2026-01-01",
  to_date   = "2026-01-31"
)
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_search.R:46:5:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS search.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
recent[, c("sfs_nr", "titel", "datum")]
#> Error:
#> ! object 'recent' not found
```


``` r
justice_dept <- swe_search(org = "Justitiedepartementet", max_results = 5)
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_search.R:46:5:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS search.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
justice_dept[, c("sfs_nr", "titel")]
#> Error:
#> ! object 'justice_dept' not found
```

A search with no matches returns a zero-row tibble rather than an error:


``` r
swe_search(query = "xyzzyplugh123nonexistent")
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_search.R:46:5:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS search.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
```

## Thin wrappers

If you only need the text or only the metadata, two convenience wrappers
avoid handling the full tibble:


``` r
swe_get_text("1974:152") |> substr(1, 200)
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_get_doc.R:18:3:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS 1974:152.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
```


``` r
swe_get_metadata("1974:152")
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_get_doc.R:18:3:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS 1974:152.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
```

## Repealed statutes

Statutes that have been repealed are flagged, along with the repeal date
and the repealing SFS number:


``` r
swe_get_doc("1975:1385")[, c("sfs_nr", "titel", "is_repealed", "upphavd", "upphavd_av")]
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_get_doc.R:18:3:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS 1975:1385.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
```

A convenience wrapper is also available:


``` r
swe_is_repealed("1975:1385")
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_get_doc.R:18:3:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS 1975:1385.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
swe_is_repealed("1974:152")
#> Error in `perform_riksdagen_request()` at swelex/R/swe_get_doc.R:18:3:
#> ! Could not reach Riksdagen's API for SFS 1974:152.
#> ℹ The service may be down. Check <https://storning.riksdagen.se/>.
#> Caused by error in `httr2::req_perform()`:
#> ! Failed to perform HTTP request.
#> Caused by error in `curl::curl_fetch_memory()`:
#> ! Failure when receiving data from the peer [data.riksdagen.se]:
#> Recv failure: Vastapää sulki yhteyden
```

## Known limitations

- **No amendment history.** The API does not expose a structured list of
  every SFS number that has amended a given statute — only the most
  recent one (`andrad_tom`). Retrieving full amendment history would
  require scraping Regeringskansliet's rättsdatabaser, which swelex
  currently does not do.
- **Consolidated text only.** swelex returns the text as it stands today
  (or as of the date `dokumentstatus` was last indexed), not
  point-in-time historical versions.