R help - Sep 2004 - Accesing the name of an assigned object in a function

I want to use the name that I assign to an object in the function that 
produces the output, somewhat like below:

stupid.function <- function(input){
	[body]
	cat("Summarized output is ", output$summary, "Full output is 		
given
by typing", assigned.name, "\n")
	}

assigned.name <- stupid.function(whatever)


or another example is a function that sinks the results to a text file 
and names it assigned.name.txt .

I checked the help for function, <-, assign but could not find it, is it 
  possible ?


---------------------------------------------
Henrik Andersson
Netherlands Institute of Ecology -
Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology
P.O. Box 140
4400 AC Yerseke
Phone: +31 113 577473
h.andersson at nioo.knaw.nl
http://www.nioo.knaw.nl/ppages/handersson

Hi Hendrik,

if I understand you right, match.call() can help you.

All the best,
Arne

On Wednesday 01 September 2004 12:13, Henrik Andersson
wrote:
> I want to use the name that I assign to an object in the function that
> produces the output, somewhat like below:
>
> stupid.function <- function(input){
>  [body]
>  cat("Summarized output is ", output$summary, "Full output
is    given
> by typing", assigned.name, "\n")
>  }
>
> assigned.name <- stupid.function(whatever)
>
>
> or another example is a function that sinks the results to a text file
> and names it assigned.name.txt .
>
> I checked the help for function, <-, assign but could not find it, is it
>   possible ?
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Henrik Andersson
> Netherlands Institute of Ecology -
> Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology
> P.O. Box 140
> 4400 AC Yerseke
> Phone: +31 113 577473
> h.andersson at nioo.knaw.nl
> http://www.nioo.knaw.nl/ppages/handersson
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide!
> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
-- 
Arne Henningsen
Department of Agricultural Economics
University of Kiel
Olshausenstr. 40
D-24098 Kiel (Germany)
Tel: +49-431-880 4445
Fax: +49-431-880 1397
ahenningsen at agric-econ.uni-kiel.de
http://www.uni-kiel.de/agrarpol/ahenningsen/

?assign

/E

On Wed, 1 Sep 2004, Henrik Andersson wrote:
> I want to use the name that I assign to an object in the function that
> produces the output, somewhat like below:
>
> stupid.function <- function(input){
> 	[body]
> 	cat("Summarized output is ", output$summary, "Full output
is 			given
> by typing", assigned.name, "\n")
> 	}
>
> assigned.name <- stupid.function(whatever)
>
>
> or another example is a function that sinks the results to a text file
> and names it assigned.name.txt .
>
> I checked the help for function, <-, assign but could not find it, is it
>   possible ?
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Henrik Andersson
> Netherlands Institute of Ecology -
> Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology
> P.O. Box 140
> 4400 AC Yerseke
> Phone: +31 113 577473
> h.andersson at nioo.knaw.nl
> http://www.nioo.knaw.nl/ppages/handersson
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide!
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>

Arne Henningsen <ahenningsen <at> email.uni-kiel.de> writes:
> 
> Hi Hendrik,
> 
> if I understand you right, match.call() can help you.
> 
> All the best,
> Arne
> 
> On Wednesday 01 September 2004 12:13, Henrik Andersson wrote:
> > I want to use the name that I assign to an object in the function that
> > produces the output, somewhat like below:
> >
> > stupid.function <- function(input){
> >  [body]
> >  cat("Summarized output is ", output$summary, "Full
output is    given
> > by typing", assigned.name, "\n")
> >  }
> >
> > assigned.name <- stupid.function(whatever)
> >
> >
> > or another example is a function that sinks the results to a text file
> > and names it assigned.name.txt .
> >
> > I checked the help for function, <-, assign but could not find it,
is it
> >   possible ?


As far as I know you are going to have to pass the assigned.name to the
function although there are a number of tricks that can make this a bit
nicer.  For example, run this:

example(lm)

# which has the effect of defining lm.D9 which we will use for our
# examples below.  Using that:

#### 1
set1 <- function(x, value) {
	name <- as.character(substitute(x))
	print(summary(value)$fstatistic)
	cat("That was F and df.  For more info type", name, "\n")
	assign(name, value, parent.frame())
	invisible(value)
}
set1(x, lm.D9)
x
	
# We can make this a bit prettier this way:

#### 2
set2 <- structure(NA,class="set2")
"[<-.set2" <- function(tmp,x,value) {
	name <- as.character(substitute(x))
	print(summary(value)$fstatistic)
	cat("That was F and df.  For more info type", name, "\n")
	assign(name, value, parent.frame())
	tmp
}

# now we can write:
set2[xx] <- lm.D9
xx

# Another strategy might be to use a global variable to store the
# last output from your function:

#### 3
set3 <- function(value) {
	name <- as.character(substitute(x))
	print(summary(value)$fstatistic)
	cat("That was F and df.  For more info type .set3\n")
	assign(".set3", value, .GlobalEnv)
	invisible(value)
}
xxx <- set3(lm.D9)  # or just set3(lm.D9)
.set3