Duplicate Bag Tables

Duplicate bag tables work like bag tables but allow storing identical key-value pairs multiple times. Each insert adds a new copy, even if the exact same pair already exists.

Duplicate bag tables are provided by the slate/duplicate_bag module and correspond to the duplicate_bag table type in Erlang's DETS.

Opening and closing

import slate/duplicate_bag

let assert Ok(table) = duplicate_bag.open("data/events.dets")

// ... use the table ...

let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.close(table)

For safer lifecycle management, use with_table instead.

Inserting data

// Each insert adds a new entry, even if the pair already exists
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert(table, "click", "button_a")
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert(table, "click", "button_a")
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert(table, "click", "button_b")

// Batch insert
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert_list(table, [
  #("error", "timeout"),
  #("error", "timeout"),
  #("error", "connection_refused"),
])

Looking up data

Like bag tables, lookup returns a List of all values — including duplicates:

let assert Ok(clicks) = duplicate_bag.lookup(table, key: "click")
// clicks == ["button_a", "button_a", "button_b"]

// Returns an empty list if the key doesn't exist
let assert Ok([]) = duplicate_bag.lookup(table, key: "nonexistent")

// Check if a key exists
let assert Ok(True) = duplicate_bag.member(table, key: "click")

Deleting data

// Delete all values for a key
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.delete_key(table, key: "click")

// Delete all occurrences of a specific key-value pair
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert(table, "click", "btn_a")
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert(table, "click", "btn_a")
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.insert(table, "click", "btn_b")
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.delete_object(table, key: "click", value: "btn_a")
// Only "btn_b" remains — both copies of "btn_a" were removed

// Clear all entries
let assert Ok(Nil) = duplicate_bag.delete_all(table)

Iterating over entries

// Get all entries as a list
let assert Ok(entries) = duplicate_bag.to_list(table)

// Fold over entries (includes duplicates)
let assert Ok(count) = duplicate_bag.fold(table, from: 0, with: fn(acc, _key, _value) {
  acc + 1
})

// Get the number of stored objects (includes duplicates)
let assert Ok(n) = duplicate_bag.size(table)

Table info

let assert Ok(info) = duplicate_bag.info(table)
// info.file_size — size of the file on disk in bytes
// info.object_count — number of entries (including duplicates)
// info.kind — slate.DuplicateBag

Opening with options

Repair policy

import slate.{AutoRepair}

let assert Ok(table) = duplicate_bag.open_with("data/events.dets", AutoRepair)

Access mode

import slate.{AutoRepair, ReadOnly}

let assert Ok(table) = duplicate_bag.open_with_access("data/events.dets", AutoRepair, ReadOnly)

Bag vs. Duplicate Bag

Behavior	Bag	Duplicate Bag
Same key, different values	✅ Stored	✅ Stored
Same key, same value (duplicate pair)	❌ Ignored	✅ Stored
delete_object removes	One pair	All copies of the pair

When to use duplicate bag tables

Duplicate bag tables are ideal for append-only or event-style data:

• Event logs: Record every occurrence, even repeats
• Audit trails: Track all actions including duplicates
• Time-series data: Store repeated measurements
• Counters by event: Count occurrences by folding over entries