[R] Ignore text when reading data

[jim holtman]

Try this:

> x <- readLines(textConnection("main data file - file 1
+ by mr x
+ etc
+
+
+ Time    out1
+ Sec     mm
+ 0.82495117      -0.020977303
+ 1.3554688       -0.059330709
+ 1.826416        -0.021419302
+ 2.3295898       -0.051521059
+ 2.8347168       -0.020661414
+
+
+ Time    out1
+ Sec     mm
+ 3.8679199       -0.000439643
+ 4.3322754       -0.063477799
+ 4.8015137       -0.024581354
+ 5.3286133       -0.067487299
+ 5.8212891       -0.011978489"))
> closeAllConnections()
> # remove blanks
> x <- x[x != ""]
> # get the lines with numbers
> indx.num <- grep("^[-0-9]", x)
> header <- x[indx.num[1] - 2]
> input <- read.table(textConnection(x[indx.num]))
> names(input) <- strsplit(header, "\\s+")[[1]]
> input
        Time         out1
1  0.8249512 -0.020977303
2  1.3554688 -0.059330709
3  1.8264160 -0.021419302
4  2.3295898 -0.051521059
5  2.8347168 -0.020661414
6  3.8679199 -0.000439643
7  4.3322754 -0.063477799
8  4.8015137 -0.024581354
9  5.3286133 -0.067487299
10 5.8212891 -0.011978489
>


On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 7:45 PM, beyar <bxx at mailinator.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I have tab delimited text files containing numerical data,
> like below, but many more columns.
>
> As you can see, the first few lines are heading and file data.  I need to
> skip these lines.  2 lines above where the numbers start is what I want to
> use as my header rows.  I then want to ignore the next line (containing
> units) and start importing data.
>
> The header row repeats.  i want to ignore the blank rows and text in the
> data and then continue reading.  Is there an easy way to do this?
>
> thanks
> Beyar
>
>
> -------------------------
> main data file - file 1
> by mr x
> etc
>
>
> Time    out1
> Sec     mm
> 0.82495117      -0.020977303
> 1.3554688       -0.059330709
> 1.826416        -0.021419302
> 2.3295898       -0.051521059
> 2.8347168       -0.020661414
>
>
> Time    out1
> Sec     mm
> 3.8679199       -0.000439643
> 4.3322754       -0.063477799
> 4.8015137       -0.024581354
> 5.3286133       -0.067487299
> 5.8212891       -0.011978489
>
> -----------------------------------------------
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Ignore-text-when-reading-data-tp21718709p21718709.html
> Sent from the R help mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
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> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>



-- 
Jim Holtman
Cincinnati, OH
+1 513 646 9390

What is the problem that you are trying to solve?