[R] Error in fromchar(as.character(x)) : character string is not in a standard unambiguous format

[Petr PIKAL]

Hi

r-help-bounces at r-project.org napsal dne 11.04.2008 12:47:57:

> Brian,
> 
> 
> Thanks for your reply. The data I have was downloaded from a 
> government database so it now seems that the problem is how to 
> convert all the records in the format '1-Apr-08' to the format 
2008-04-11.

There is no need to convert it externally. Your Order.Made.Date is not 
time but factors. You need to to transform them to time/date format e.g. 
by

time.data<-strptime(your data, format = .....)

see as.Date for details.

Then you can use them in your construction without any problem.

Regards
Petr

> 
> I can ask the person working on the new version of this database 
> whether they will use this standard, it certainly isn't in common use.
> 
> Your explanation did make the help files, which I typically struggle 
> with, clearer.
> 
> 
> Bob
> 
> 
> At 07:03 PM 11/04/2008, you wrote:
> >You need to give the format -- might mean 2008-04-01 or 2001-04-08, 
> >and R refuses to guess.
> >
> >Please *do* read the help file (e.g. as.Date) before posting: the 
> >international standard format is , and Australia has adopted that 
standard.
> >
> >On Fri, 11 Apr 2008, Bob Green wrote:
> >
> >>Hello,
> >>
> >>I was hoping for advice regarding resolving the above error.
> >
> >Telling R what you intend is the usual way to resolve user errors 
> >caused by ambiguous input.
> >
> >>
> >>I have a csv file that contains the following variable:
> >>
> >>  $ Order.Made.Date       : Factor w/ 299 levels
> >>"1-Apr-08","1-Aug-05",..: 278 285 91 286 159 132 108 261 282 147 ...
> >>
> >>
> >>I want to calculate a variable named F.length, which is today's date
> >>minus  the values contained in  the variable: April$Order.Made.Date)
> >>I tried altering the date format but continued to receive the same 
error.
> >>
> >>  > F.length <- difftime ("11/04/2008", April$Order.Made.Date)
> >> > Error in fromchar(as.character(x)) :   character string is not in
> >>a standard unambiguous format
> >>
> >>  > Order.date <- as.Date (April$Order.Made.Date)
> >>  > Error in fromchar(x) :   character string is not in a standard
> >>unambiguous format
> >> > Order.date <- 'as.POSIXlt' (April$Order.Made.Date)
> >>Error in fromchar(as.character(x)) :   character string is not in a
> >>standard unambiguous format
> >>
> >>Any suggestions are appreciated,
> >>
> >>Bob
> >
> >
> >--
> >Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
> >Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
> >University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
> >1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
> >Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595
> 
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