[R] read file problem

[Jeff Newmiller]

Luis Ridao Cruz wrote:
> R-help,
> 
> I have the following file I want to import to R (some lines
> removed)
> 
> 
> Calibrated CTD data for station:00280001
> Calibrated:23/8  2001, Salinity Unsmoothed,  Fluorescence Uncalibrated
> Maximum observed depth:    36 m                                       
> QUAL has one digit for each of pressure, temp., sal. and fluor.       
> QUAL=1:Uncal.,  QUAL=2:OK,  QUAL=6:Interp.,  QUAL=9:No data           
>   
> DEPTH  CTDPRS  CTDTMP  CTDSAL  RAWFLU NUMB. QUAL
>     M    DBAR IPTS-68  PSS-78          OBS.
>       ******* ******* ******* *******
>     1     1.0                               2999
>     2     2.0  5.9793 35.1629    .107    17 2221
>     3     3.0  5.9797 35.1631    .101    17 2221
>     4     4.0  5.9809 35.1631    .118    12 2221
>     5     5.1  5.9811 35.1629    .115    42 2221
>     6     6.1  5.9810 35.1631    .116    18 2221
>     7     7.1  5.9797 35.1631    .116    15 2221
>     8     8.1  5.9798 35.1630    .102    13 2221
>     9     9.1  5.9792 35.1629    .113    11 2221
> ...............
> ................
> .........
> 
> 
> If I use :
> 
> read.table(file, skip = 10)
> 
> it works fine but sometimes the missing data are not only
> in line number 1 ( 1     1.0                               2999)
> but in lines 1,2,3,,, and therefore R fails to import the data file
> 
> How can I fix it?
> I have tried with the arguments 
> strip.white = TRUE
> , fill = TRUE
> , blank.lines.skip = TRUE
> 
> but still not get what I want

This looks like a job for read.fwf...

?read.fwf

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