R devel - Nov 2004 - Formatting of times in time series objects

Although print.ts() formats times pleasantly when it prints
regular multivariate time series (at least for suitable series)
(try e.g.
 > xy <- cbind(window(AirPassengers, end =1950), 1:11)
 > window(xy, end=1949)
           xy seqno
Jan 1949 112     1
)
I can find no immediate way to extract the pleasantly
formatted date.  I am wondering what plans there may be
to modify format() to provide a choice of formats for the times
in ts objects [presumably via as.Date(), rather than by code
such as in print.ts()], or if some other solution is in view.

John Maindonald             email: john.maindonald@anu.edu.au
phone : +61 2 (6125)3473    fax  : +61 2(6125)5549
Centre for Bioinformation Science, Room 1194,
John Dedman Mathematical Sciences Building (Building 27)
Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200.

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004, John Maindonald wrote:
> Although print.ts() formats times pleasantly when it prints
> regular multivariate time series (at least for suitable series)
> (try e.g.
>  > xy <- cbind(window(AirPassengers, end =1950), 1:11)
I get an error here, as I should.
>  > window(xy, end=1949)
>            xy seqno
> Jan 1949 112     1
> )
> I can find no immediate way to extract the pleasantly
> formatted date.  I am wondering what plans there may be
> to modify format() to provide a choice of formats for the times
> in ts objects [presumably via as.Date(), rather than by code
> such as in print.ts()], or if some other solution is in view.
No plans.  ts() objects do not in fact contain the times, just a tsp 
attribute, but it is easy enough to write code to get what you want.

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley@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