[Rd] Bug in read.table?

[jgarcia at ija.csic.es]

Hi,

I'm writting to this list as I'm puzzled about the behaviour of
read.table(). It is hard to believe that there is a bug in this utils'
function, but for my:

R version 2.12.0 alpha (2010-09-28 r53056)

I'm using scan and read.table to read a number of files, which are as:

---

Project:     Murta Sonda
Program:     GrafNav Version 8.30.1007
Profile:     javier
Source:      GPS Epochs(Combined)
ProcessInfo: Run (1) by Unknown on 11/04/2010 at 19:05:17

Datum:       WGS84, (processing datum)
Master 1:    Name LaMurta, Status ENABLED
             Antenna height 2.066 m, to L1-PC (NOV702GG, MeasDist 1.980 m
to mark/ARP)
             Position 37 49 38.15069, -1 12 27.55445, 368.197 m (WGS84,
Ellipsoidal hgt)
Remote:      Antenna height 1.781 m, to L1-PC (NOV702GG, MeasDist 1.695 m
to mark/ARP)
UTC Offset:  15 s
Local time:  +2.0 h, CEST [Central European Savings Time]
Geoid:       EGM2008-World.wpg (Absolute correction)

      Latitude      Longitude LonTextLoTextLongitudTextL
LatTextLaTextLatitudeTextL        H-Ell        H-MSL LocalUTCDa   
LocalUTC
         (Deg)          (Deg) (DeMi   (Sec)  (DeMi   (Sec)           (m)  
       (m)      (DMY)       (HMS)
 37.8275120694  -1.2077972583 001º12'28.07013"W 037º49'39.04345"N     
368.998      318.059 25/10/2010    16:59:00
 37.8275121083  -1.2077974806 001º12'28.07093"W 037º49'39.04359"N     
368.994      318.055 25/10/2010    16:59:15
 37.8275118539  -1.2077974338 001º12'28.07076"W 037º49'39.04267"N     
368.997      318.058 25/10/2010    16:59:30
 37.8275119923  -1.2077974626 001º12'28.07087"W 037º49'39.04317"N     
368.998      318.060 25/10/2010    16:59:45
 37.8275323099  -1.2078075891 001º12'28.10732"W 037º49'39.11632"N     
368.869      317.930 25/10/2010    17:00:00
 37.8275323374  -1.2078077002 001º12'28.10772"W 037º49'39.11641"N     
368.866      317.927 25/10/2010    17:00:15
 37.8275325076  -1.2078075314 001º12'28.10711"W 037º49'39.11703"N     
368.859      317.920 25/10/2010    17:00:30
 37.8275325306  -1.2078075056 001º12'28.10702"W 037º49'39.11711"N     
368.861      317.922 25/10/2010    17:00:45
 37.8275323639  -1.2078075917 001º12'28.10733"W 037º49'39.11651"N     
368.853      317.914 25/10/2010    17:01:00
 37.8275326222  -1.2078076861 001º12'28.10767"W 037º49'39.11744"N     
368.857      317.918 25/10/2010    17:01:15
---

with a number of different records for each file.

To read the data I'm using:

---
 dat.names <- scan(file.path("path_and_filename"),
                   what="character",
                   skip = 16, nlines=1)
 if(length(dat.names) != 8){
    stop("Input file seems to be wrong!")}

 dat <- read.table(file.path("path_and_filename),
                   header=FALSE, col.names=dat.names,
                   skip = 18, as.is=TRUE, blank.lines.skip=FALSE)
---
and systematically, I'm obtaining a number of repeated records at the
starting of the input table (6 in this example). It is easily seen by
looking at the field "LocalUTC":

> dat
   Latitude Longitude LonTextLoTextLongitudTextL
LatTextLaTextLatitudeTextL   H.Ell   H.MSL LocalUTCDa LocalUTC
1  37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10732"W         
037º49'39.11632"N 368.869 317.930 25/10/2010 17:00:00
2  37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10772"W         
037º49'39.11641"N 368.866 317.927 25/10/2010 17:00:15
3  37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10711"W         
037º49'39.11703"N 368.859 317.920 25/10/2010 17:00:30
4  37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10702"W         
037º49'39.11711"N 368.861 317.922 25/10/2010 17:00:45
5  37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10733"W         
037º49'39.11651"N 368.853 317.914 25/10/2010 17:01:00
6  37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10767"W         
037º49'39.11744"N 368.857 317.918 25/10/2010 17:01:15
7  37.82751 -1.207797          001º12'28.07013"W         
037º49'39.04345"N 368.998 318.059 25/10/2010 16:59:00
8  37.82751 -1.207797          001º12'28.07093"W         
037º49'39.04359"N 368.994 318.055 25/10/2010 16:59:15
9  37.82751 -1.207797          001º12'28.07076"W         
037º49'39.04267"N 368.997 318.058 25/10/2010 16:59:30
10 37.82751 -1.207797          001º12'28.07087"W         
037º49'39.04317"N 368.998 318.060 25/10/2010 16:59:45
11 37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10732"W         
037º49'39.11632"N 368.869 317.930 25/10/2010 17:00:00
12 37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10772"W         
037º49'39.11641"N 368.866 317.927 25/10/2010 17:00:15
13 37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10711"W         
037º49'39.11703"N 368.859 317.920 25/10/2010 17:00:30
14 37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10702"W         
037º49'39.11711"N 368.861 317.922 25/10/2010 17:00:45
15 37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10733"W         
037º49'39.11651"N 368.853 317.914 25/10/2010 17:01:00
16 37.82753 -1.207808          001º12'28.10767"W         
037º49'39.11744"N 368.857 317.918 25/10/2010 17:01:15

Thanks,

Javier
---