[R] Passing a function as a parameter...

[Bert Gunter]

Are you aware that you can pass the function, itself, as an argument
(R is mostly a functional programming language where language objects
are first class objects).

e.g

> g <- function(x,fun)fun(x)
> g(2,function(x)x^2)
[1] 4




On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 4:06 PM, Jonathan Greenberg
<greenberg at ucdavis.edu> wrote:
> R-helpers:
>
> If I want to pass a character name of a function TO a function, and then
> have that function executed, how would I do this?  I want
> an arbitrary version of the following, where any function can be used (e.g.
> I don't want the if-then statement here):
>
> apply_some_function <- function(data,function_name)
> {
>  if(function_name=="mean")
> {
> return(mean(data))
> }
> if(function_name=="min")
> {
> return(min(data))
> }
>
> }
>
> apply_some_function(1:10,"mean")
> apply_some_function(1:10,"min")
>
> Basically, I want the character name of the function used to actually
> execute that function.  Thanks!
>
> --j
>
>        [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
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>



-- 
Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics