R devel - Oct 2008 - write.csv(..., col.names = FALSE) (PR#13202)

Full_Name: Stefan Albrecht
Version: 2.7.2 (and 2.8.0)
OS: Windows NT
Submission from: (NULL) (194.127.8.17)


Dear R Debug-Team,

in write.csv() it is not possible to set both
row.names = FALSE, col.names = FALSE
since the col.names = FALSE gets overwritten:
> write.csv
function (...) 
{
    Call <- match.call(expand.dots = TRUE)
    for (argname in c("col.names", "sep", "dec",
"qmethod")) if
(!is.null(Call[[argname]])) 
        warning(gettextf("attempt to set '%s' ignored",
argname),
            domain = NA)
    rn <- eval.parent(Call$row.names)
    Call$col.names <- if (is.logical(rn) && !rn) 
        TRUE
    else NA
    Call$sep <- ","
    Call$dec <- "."
    Call$qmethod <- "double"
    Call[[1]] <- as.name("write.table")
    eval.parent(Call)
}
<environment: namespace:utils>
> 
This is not documented and should be changed, as it is an unintended reaction.

With many thanks and best regards,
Stefan

On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 stefan.albrecht at allianz.com wrote:
> in write.csv() it is not possible to set both
> row.names = FALSE, col.names = FALSE
> since the col.names = FALSE gets overwritten:
>
> > write.csv
> function (...)
> {
>     Call <- match.call(expand.dots = TRUE)
>     for (argname in c("col.names", "sep",
"dec", "qmethod")) if
> (!is.null(Call[[argname]]))
>         warning(gettextf("attempt to set '%s' ignored",
argname),
>             domain = NA)
>     rn <- eval.parent(Call$row.names)
>     Call$col.names <- if (is.logical(rn) && !rn)
>         TRUE
>     else NA
>     Call$sep <- ","
>     Call$dec <- "."
>     Call$qmethod <- "double"
>     Call[[1]] <- as.name("write.table")
>     eval.parent(Call)
> }
> <environment: namespace:utils>
> >
>
> This is not documented and should be changed, as it is
> an unintended reaction.
?write.csv
> write.csv and write.csv2 provide convenience wrappers
> for writing CSV files. They set sep, dec and qmethod,
> and col.names to NA if row.names=TRUE and TRUE otherwise.
Seems documented to me.

Note that write.csv is just a wrapper for write.table.
If you don't like the wrapper, you could always call
write.table with its arguments set just as you want.

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