Author: Gilles Colling
Date: 2026-03-23

# Quick Start

#### Gilles Colling

#### 2026-03-23

## Installation

    # Install from CRAN
    install.packages("corrselect")

    # Or install development version from GitHub
    # install.packages("pak")
    pak::pak("gcol33/corrselect")

Suggested packages (for extended functionality):

- `lme4`, `glmmTMB`: Mixed-effects models in `modelPrune()`

- `WGCNA`: Biweight midcorrelation (`bicor`)

- `energy`: Distance correlation

- `minerva`: Maximal information coefficient

## What corrselect Does

corrselect identifies and removes redundant variables based on pairwise correlation or association. Given a threshold \(\tau\), it finds subsets where all pairwise associations satisfy \(|a_{ij}| < \tau\) (see `vignette("theory")` for mathematical formulation).

## Interface Hierarchy

corrselect provides three levels of interface:

### Level 1: Simple Pruning

corrPrune() - Removes redundant predictors based on pairwise correlation:

- Returns a single pruned dataset

- No response variable required

- Fast greedy or exact search

modelPrune() - Reduces VIF in regression models:

- Returns a single pruned dataset with response

- Iteratively removes high-VIF predictors

- Works with lm, glm, lme4, glmmTMB

### Level 2: Structured Subset Selection

corrSelect() - Returns all maximal subsets (numeric data):

- Enumerates all maximal valid subsets satisfying threshold (see `vignette("theory")`)

- Provides full metadata (size, avg_corr, max_corr, min_corr)

- Exact or greedy search

assocSelect() - Returns all maximal subsets (mixed-type data):

- Handles numeric, factor, and ordered variables

- Uses appropriate association measures per variable pair

- Exact or greedy search

### Level 3: Low-Level Matrix Interface

MatSelect() - Direct matrix input:

- Accepts precomputed correlation/association matrices

- No data preprocessing

- Useful for repeated analyses

## Quick Examples

### corrPrune(): Association-Based Pruning

    data(mtcars)

    # Remove correlated predictors (threshold = 0.7)
    pruned <- corrPrune(mtcars, threshold = 0.7)

    # Results
    cat(sprintf("Reduced from %d to %d variables\n", ncol(mtcars), ncol(pruned)))
    #> Reduced from 11 to 5 variables
    names(pruned)
    #> [1] "mpg"  "drat" "qsec" "gear" "carb"

Variables removed:

    attr(pruned, "removed_vars")
    #> [1] "cyl"  "disp" "hp"   "wt"   "vs"   "am"

How corrPrune() selects among multiple maximal subsets:

When multiple maximal subsets exist (which is common), `corrPrune()` returns the subset with the lowest average absolute correlation. This selection criterion balances three goals:

1. Minimize redundancy: Lower average correlation means more independent variables

2. Maximize information: Prefers diverse variable combinations over tightly clustered ones

3. Deterministic behavior: Always returns the same result for the same data

To explore all maximal subsets instead of just the optimal one, use `corrSelect()` (see below).

### modelPrune(): VIF-Based Pruning

    # Prune based on VIF (limit = 5)
    model_data <- modelPrune(
      formula = mpg ~ .,
      data = mtcars,
      limit = 5
    )

    # Results
    cat("Variables kept:", paste(attr(model_data, "selected_vars"), collapse = ", "), "\n")
    #> Variables kept: drat, qsec, vs, am, gear, carb
    cat("Variables removed:", paste(attr(model_data, "removed_vars"), collapse = ", "), "\n")
    #> Variables removed: disp, cyl, wt, hp

### corrSelect(): Enumerate All Maximal Subsets

    results <- corrSelect(mtcars, threshold = 0.7)
    show(results)
    #> CorrCombo object
    #> -----------------
    #>   Method:      bron-kerbosch
    #>   Correlation: pearson
    #>   Threshold:   0.700
    #>   Subsets:     15 maximal subsets
    #>   Data Rows:   32 used in correlation
    #>   Pivot:       TRUE
    #>
    #> Top combinations:
    #>   No.  Variables                          Avg    Max    Size
    #>   ------------------------------------------------------------
    #>   [ 1] mpg, drat, qsec, gear, carb       0.416  0.700     5
    #>   [ 2] cyl, drat, qsec, gear, carb       0.434  0.700     5
    #>   [ 3] mpg, drat, vs, gear, carb         0.466  0.700     5
    #>   [ 4] wt, qsec, am, carb                0.373  0.692     4
    #>   [ 5] wt, qsec, gear, carb              0.388  0.656     4
    #>   ... (10 more combinations)

Inspect subsets:

    as.data.frame(results)[1:5, ]  # First 5 subsets
    #>                      VarName01 VarName02 VarName03 VarName04 VarName05
    #> Subset01 [avg=0.416]       mpg      drat      qsec      gear      carb
    #> Subset02 [avg=0.434]       cyl      drat      qsec      gear      carb
    #> Subset03 [avg=0.466]       mpg      drat        vs      gear      carb
    #> Subset04 [avg=0.373]        wt      qsec        am      carb      <NA>
    #> Subset05 [avg=0.388]        wt      qsec      gear      carb      <NA>

Extract a specific subset:

    subset_data <- corrSubset(results, mtcars, which = 1)
    names(subset_data)
    #> [1] "mpg"  "drat" "qsec" "gear" "carb"

### assocSelect(): Mixed-Type Data

    # Create mixed-type data
    df <- data.frame(
      x1 = rnorm(100),
      x2 = rnorm(100),
      cat1 = factor(sample(c("A", "B", "C"), 100, replace = TRUE)),
      ord1 = ordered(sample(1:5, 100, replace = TRUE))
    )

    # Handle mixed types automatically
    results_mixed <- assocSelect(df, threshold = 0.5)
    show(results_mixed)
    #> CorrCombo object
    #> -----------------
    #>   Method:      bron-kerbosch
    #>   Correlation: mixed
    #>   AssocMethod: numeric_numeric = pearson, numeric_factor = eta, numeric_ordered
    #>                = spearman, factor_ordered = cramersv
    #>   Threshold:   0.500
    #>   Subsets:     1 maximal subsets
    #>   Data Rows:   100 used in correlation
    #>   Pivot:       TRUE
    #>
    #> Top combinations:
    #>   No.  Variables                          Avg    Max    Size
    #>   ------------------------------------------------------------
    #>   [ 1] x1, x2, cat1, ord1                0.082  0.261     4

    # Verify all pairwise associations are below threshold
    cat("Max pairwise association:", max(results_mixed@max_corr), "\n")
    #> Max pairwise association: 0.2613954

## Protecting Variables

Use `force_in` to ensure specific variables are always retained:

    # Force "mpg" to remain in all subsets
    pruned_force <- corrPrune(
      data = mtcars,
      threshold = 0.7,
      force_in = "mpg"
    )

    # Verify forced variable is present
    "mpg" %in% names(pruned_force)
    #> [1] TRUE

## Threshold Selection

Common thresholds: 0.5 (strict), 0.7 (moderate, recommended default), 0.9 (lenient).

Lower thresholds are stricter because they allow fewer variable pairs to coexist, resulting in smaller subsets. Higher thresholds permit stronger correlations, retaining more variables.

For detailed threshold selection strategies including visualization techniques, VIF guidelines, and sensitivity analysis, see `vignette("advanced")`.

## Interface Selection Guide

Scenario | Function | Key Parameters
--- | --- | ---
Quick dimensionality reduction | `corrPrune()` | `threshold`, `mode`
Model-based refinement | `modelPrune()` | `limit` (VIF threshold), `engine`
Enumerate all maximal subsets | `corrSelect()` | `threshold`
Mixed-type data | `assocSelect()` | `threshold`
Precomputed matrices | `MatSelect()` | `threshold`, `method`
Protect key variables | Any function | `force_in`

## Quick Reference

### corrPrune()

Removes redundant predictors based on pairwise correlation.

    corrPrune(data, threshold = 0.7, measure = "auto", mode = "auto",
              force_in = NULL, by = NULL, group_q = 1, max_exact_p = 100)

Parameter | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`data` | Data frame or matrix | required
`threshold` | Maximum allowed correlation | `0.7`
`measure` | Correlation type: `"auto"`, `"pearson"`, `"spearman"`, `"kendall"`, `"bicor"`, `"distance"`, `"maximal"` | `"auto"`
`mode` | Algorithm: `"auto"`, `"exact"`, `"greedy"` | `"auto"`
`force_in` | Variables that must be retained | `NULL`
`by` | Column name(s) for grouped pruning | `NULL`
`group_q` | Quantile for aggregating group correlations (0-1] | `1`

Returns: Data frame with pruned variables. Attributes: `selected_vars`, `removed_vars`.

### modelPrune()

Iteratively removes predictors with high VIF from a regression model.

    modelPrune(formula, data, engine = "lm", criterion = "vif",
               limit = 5, force_in = NULL, max_steps = NULL, ...)

Parameter | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`formula` | Model formula (e.g., `y ~ .`) | required
`data` | Data frame | required
`engine` | `"lm"`, `"glm"`, `"lme4"`, `"glmmTMB"`, or custom | `"lm"`
`criterion` | `"vif"` or `"condition_number"` | `"vif"`
`limit` | Maximum allowed diagnostic value | `5`
`force_in` | Variables that must be retained | `NULL`

Returns: Pruned data frame. Attributes: `selected_vars`, `removed_vars`, `final_model`.

### corrSelect()

Enumerates all maximal subsets satisfying correlation threshold (numeric data).

    corrSelect(df, threshold = 0.7, method = NULL, force_in = NULL,
               cor_method = "pearson", ...)

Parameter | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`df` | Data frame (numeric columns only) | required
`threshold` | Maximum allowed correlation | `0.7`
`method` | Algorithm: `"bron-kerbosch"`, `"els"` | auto
`cor_method` | `"pearson"`, `"spearman"`, `"kendall"`, `"bicor"`, `"distance"`, `"maximal"` | `"pearson"`
`force_in` | Variables required in all subsets | `NULL`

Returns: `CorrCombo` object with properties: `subset_list`, `avg_corr`, `min_corr`, `max_corr`.

### assocSelect()

Enumerates all maximal subsets for mixed-type data (numeric, factor, ordered).

    assocSelect(df, threshold = 0.7, method = NULL, force_in = NULL,
                method_num_num = "pearson", method_num_ord = "spearman",
                method_ord_ord = "spearman", ...)

Parameter | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`df` | Data frame (any column types) | required
`threshold` | Maximum allowed association | `0.7`
`method_num_num` | Numeric-numeric: `"pearson"`, `"spearman"`, etc. | `"pearson"`
`method_num_ord` | Numeric-ordered: `"spearman"`, `"kendall"` | `"spearman"`
`method_ord_ord` | Ordered-ordered: `"spearman"`, `"kendall"` | `"spearman"`

Returns: `CorrCombo` object.

### MatSelect()

Direct matrix interface for precomputed correlation/association matrices.

    MatSelect(mat, threshold = 0.7, method = NULL, force_in = NULL, ...)

Parameter | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`mat` | Symmetric correlation/association matrix | required
`threshold` | Maximum allowed value | `0.7`
`method` | Algorithm: `"bron-kerbosch"`, `"els"` | auto
`force_in` | Variables required in all subsets | `NULL`

Returns: `CorrCombo` object.

### corrSubset()

Extracts a specific subset from a `CorrCombo` result.

    corrSubset(res, df, which = "best", keepExtra = FALSE)

Parameter | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`res` | `CorrCombo` object from `corrSelect`/`assocSelect`/`MatSelect` | required
`df` | Original data frame | required
`which` | Subset index or `"best"` (lowest avg correlation) | `"best"`
`keepExtra` | Include non-numeric columns in output? | `FALSE`

Returns: Data frame containing only the selected variables.

## Troubleshooting

“No valid subsets found” error - Threshold too strict: all variable pairs exceed it

- Solution: Increase threshold or use `force_in` to keep at least one variable

VIF computation fails in modelPrune() - Perfect multicollinearity (R² = 1) present

- Solution: Use `corrPrune(threshold = 0.99)` first to remove near-duplicates

Forced variables conflict - Variables in `force_in` are too highly correlated with each other

- Solution: Increase threshold or reduce `force_in` set

Slow performance with many variables - Exact mode is exponential for large p

- Solution: Use `mode = "greedy"` for p > 25

For comprehensive troubleshooting with code examples, see `vignette("advanced")`, Section 5.

## See Also

- `vignette("workflows")` - Complete real-world workflows (ecological, survey, genomic, mixed models)

- `vignette("advanced")` - Algorithmic control and custom engines

- `vignette("comparison")` - Comparison with caret, Boruta, glmnet

- `vignette("theory")` - Theoretical foundations and formulation

- `?corrPrune`, `?modelPrune`, `?corrSelect`, `?assocSelect`, `?MatSelect`

## Session Info

    sessionInfo()
    #> R version 4.5.2 (2025-10-31 ucrt)
    #> Platform: x86_64-w64-mingw32/x64
    #> Running under: Windows 11 x64 (build 26200)
    #>
    #> Matrix products: default
    #>   LAPACK version 3.12.1
    #>
    #> locale:
    #> [1] LC_COLLATE=en_US.UTF-8  LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8    LC_MONETARY=en_US.UTF-8
    #> [4] LC_NUMERIC=C            LC_TIME=en_US.UTF-8
    #>
    #> time zone: Europe/Luxembourg
    #> tzcode source: internal
    #>
    #> attached base packages:
    #> [1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods   base
    #>
    #> other attached packages:
    #> [1] microbenchmark_1.5.0 corrselect_3.2.1
    #>
    #> loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
    #>  [1] gtable_0.3.6         xfun_0.55            bslib_0.9.0
    #>  [4] ggplot2_4.0.1        recipes_1.3.1        lattice_0.22-7
    #>  [7] vctrs_0.7.1          tools_4.5.2          generics_0.1.4
    #> [10] stats4_4.5.2         parallel_4.5.2       tibble_3.3.1
    #> [13] pkgconfig_2.0.3      ModelMetrics_1.2.2.2 Matrix_1.7-4
    #> [16] data.table_1.18.0    RColorBrewer_1.1-3   S7_0.2.1
    #> [19] lifecycle_1.0.5      compiler_4.5.2       farver_2.1.2
    #> [22] stringr_1.6.0        textshaping_1.0.4    codetools_0.2-20
    #> [25] htmltools_0.5.9      class_7.3-23         sass_0.4.10
    #> [28] yaml_2.3.12          prodlim_2025.04.28   pillar_1.11.1
    #> [31] jquerylib_0.1.4      MASS_7.3-65          cachem_1.1.0
    #> [34] gower_1.0.2          iterators_1.0.14     rpart_4.1.24
    #> [37] foreach_1.5.2        nlme_3.1-168         parallelly_1.46.1
    #> [40] lava_1.8.2           tidyselect_1.2.1     digest_0.6.39
    #> [43] stringi_1.8.7        future_1.68.0        dplyr_1.2.0
    #> [46] reshape2_1.4.5       purrr_1.2.0          listenv_0.10.0
    #> [49] splines_4.5.2        fastmap_1.2.0        grid_4.5.2
    #> [52] cli_3.6.5            magrittr_2.0.4       survival_3.8-3
    #> [55] future.apply_1.20.1  withr_3.0.2          scales_1.4.0
    #> [58] lubridate_1.9.4      timechange_0.3.0     rmarkdown_2.30
    #> [61] globals_0.18.0       otel_0.2.0           nnet_7.3-20
    #> [64] timeDate_4051.111    evaluate_1.0.5       knitr_1.51
    #> [67] hardhat_1.4.2        caret_7.0-1          rlang_1.1.7
    #> [70] Rcpp_1.1.1           glue_1.8.0           pROC_1.19.0.1
    #> [73] ipred_0.9-15         svglite_2.2.2        jsonlite_2.0.0
    #> [76] R6_2.6.1             plyr_1.8.9           systemfonts_1.3.1