[R] Function rank() for data frames (or multiple vectors)?

[David Winsemius]

On Aug 24, 2011, at 11:09 AM, Sebastian Bauer wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'd like to rank rows of a data frame similar to what rank() does  
> for vectors. However, ties should be broken by columns that I  
> specify. If it is not possible to break a ties (because the row data  
> is essentially the same), I'd like to have the same flexibility that  
> rank() offers. Is there an elegant solution to this simple problem  
> in R? Basically, what I need is a mixture of order() and rank().  
> While the former allows to specify multiple vectors, it doesn't  
> provide the flexibility of rank() such that I can specify what  
> happens if ties can not be broken.

An example of this "simple problem" would clarify this greatly. I  
cannot tell what "flexibility" in 'rank' is missing in 'order'.

-- 

David Winsemius, MD
West Hartford, CT