[Rd] apply on data.frame does not work properly (PR#859)

[Peter Dalgaard BSA]

sergei@stams.strath.ac.uk writes:

> Full_Name: Dr. Sergei Zuyev
> Version: 1.1.0 and 1.2.2
> OS: Solaris
> Submission from: (NULL) (130.159.248.36)
> 
> 
> apply on data.frame with floats, factors and NA's does not work properly. Here
> is
> an example:
> I am searching for rows containig NA values.
> 
> X1 <- c(1, NA)
> X2<-c("A","B")
> df<-data.frame(X1,X2)
> apply(df,1,function(x){any(is.na(x))})
> # gives
> # 1     2
> # FALSE TRUE
> # as it should
>  
> # But:
> X1 <- c(1.5, NA) # float instead of natural
> df<-data.frame(X1,X2)
> apply(df,1,function(x){any(is.na(x))})
> # gives
> # 1     2
> # FALSE FALSE
> # as it shouldn't
>  
> # However,
> apply(df[2,],1,function(x){any(is.na(x))})
> # gives TRUE
>  
> # Change X2 to a numeric vector and everything works fine:
> X2<-c(2.5,3)
> df<-data.frame(X1,X2)
> apply(df,1,function(x){any(is.na(x))})
> # gives
> # 1     2
> # FALSE TRUE
> # as it shouldn't                                                          
 
This traces back to the use of format() when coercing dataframes to
character:

> format(c(1,NA))
[1] " 1" "NA"
> format(c(1000,NA))
[1] "1000" "  NA"

And "  NA" is not a character NA....

apply(is.na(df),1,any) seems to be better though.


-- 
   O__  ---- Peter Dalgaard             Blegdamsvej 3  
  c/ /'_ --- Dept. of Biostatistics     2200 Cph. N   
 (*) \(*) -- University of Copenhagen   Denmark      Ph: (+45) 35327918
~~~~~~~~~~ - (p.dalgaard@biostat.ku.dk)             FAX: (+45) 35327907
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