[R] How to get the name of the first argument in an assignment function?

[Gabor Grothendieck]

If you are willing to write fu2[Var] <- 3 instead of fu2(Var) <- 3
then this workaround may suffice:

fu2 <- structure(NA, class = "fu2")
"[<-.fu2" <- function(x, ..., value) { print(match.call()[[3]]); fu2 }

# test
fu2[Var] <- 3  # prints "Var"


On 7/27/06, Heinz Tuechler <tuechler at gmx.at> wrote:
> Dear All!
>
> If I pass an object to an assignment function I cannot get it's name by
> deparse(substitute(argument)), but I get *tmp* and I found no way to get
> the original name, in the example below it should be "va1".
> Is there a way?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Heinz
>
> ## example
> 'fu1<-' <- function(var, value) {
> print(c(name.of.var=deparse(substitute(var))))}
> fu1(va1) <- 3
>
> name.of.var
>    "*tmp*"
>
> ## desired result:
> ## name.of.var
> ##    "va1"
>
>
>
> version
>               _
> platform       i386-pc-mingw32
> arch           i386
> os             mingw32
> system         i386, mingw32
> status         Patched
> major          2
> minor          3.1
> year           2006
> month          07
> day            23
> svn rev        38687
> language       R
> version.string Version 2.3.1 Patched (2006-07-23 r38687)
>
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