[R] more structure than 'str'?

Spencer Graves spencer.graves at pdf.com
Tue Dec 18 02:46:58 CET 2007


Hi, Gabor and Charles: 

      Thanks very much for two simple alternatives to 'str(obj)': 

            str(unclass(obj))
            dput(obj) 

      Best Wishes,
      Spencer

Gabor Grothendieck wrote:
> On Dec 16, 2007 9:44 PM, Spencer Graves <spencer.graves at pdf.com> wrote:
>   
>>      How can I see more of the structure than displayed by 'str'?
>> Consider the following:
>>
>>
>> tstDF <- data.frame(a=1, row.names='b')
>>  > str(tstDF)
>> 'data.frame':   1 obs. of  1 variable:
>>  $ a: num 1
>>
>>
>>      The object 'tstDF' has row.names, but I have to suspect they are
>> there -- AND know a function like 'row.names' or 'dimnames' -- to see
>> them.
>>
>>      I've found 'str' extremely valuable for understanding and
>> explaining to others the internal structure of an R object.   In many
>> cases, it has helped me find fairly simple ways to do things with R
>> objects that might have been much more difficult and perhaps infeasible
>> without 'str' -- and without access to the right expert, who may not be
>> available in the time I have to solve a particular problem.
>>
>>      Thanks again to Martin Maechler, who wrote 'str', and to everyone
>> else who has replied to questions from me over the years.
>>
>>      Best Wishes,
>>      Spencer Graves
>>     
>
>
> Try this:
>
>   
>> dput(tstDF)
>>     
> structure(list(a = 1), .Names = "a", row.names = "b", class = "data.frame")
>
>



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