[Rd] Replace back slashes with forward slashes?

[Spencer Graves]

Hello, All:


       What can people tell me about converting back slashes to forward 
slashes in character strings?


       Several years ago, Prof. Ripley provided a solution, which I lost 
and have not been able to find.


       Below please find a function to do this.  I do not find this very 
satisfactory, however, because it uses "scan" and therefore operates on 
an input not a character string.  Unless someone suggests something 
better, I plan to add this to the "sos" package and issue a new release 
very soon.  (The new release is needed, because the RSiteSearch 
capability has been modified in a way that breaks the current "findFn" 
core of "sos".)


       Thanks,
       Spencer

back2forwardslash <- function (nmax = 1, pattern = "\\", replacement = 
"/") {
     x <- scan(what = character(), quote = pattern, nmax = nmax)
     x. <- gsub(pattern, replacement, x, fixed = TRUE)
     paste(x., collapse = " ")
}

(x <- back2forwardslash())
c:\Users\

# nmax must be one more than the number of embedded blanks
(x3 <- back2forwardslash(3))
c:\u\a b\c d


-- 
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph:  408-655-4567
web:  www.structuremonitoring.com