R help - Dec 2008 - Problem assigning "NA" as a level name in a list

I want to generate a list (called "dataList" below) where each of its 
levels is named.  These names are assigned to nameList, which contains 
all possible permutations of size two taking letters from a larger 
alphabet, e.g., "aa",...,"Fd",..,"Z1",...  One of
these permutations is
the character string "NA".  It seems that when I try to name one of
the
dataList levels "NA", using names(dataList)<- nameList, the names()
function assigns the missing character to the level.  Is there someway 
to preserve "NA" as the name of a level in dataList?  Here is the R
code
I have been using to do this.

namePerms<- permutations(ncol(coinMat),2,colnames(coinMat),repeats=TRUE)
nameList <- paste(namePerms[,1],namePerms[,2],sep="")
dataList <- lapply(1:length(nameList), function(level) {})
names(dataList)<-  nameList     ## The "NA" in nameList is
interpreted
so that the name "NA" is missing for one level in dataList

I am running R 2.4.1 in the Windows XP environment.

Thanks for any help that can be offerred.

Cliff Behrens

Cliff Behrens wrote:
> I want to generate a list (called "dataList" below) where each of
its
> levels is named.  These names are assigned to nameList, which contains 
> all possible permutations of size two taking letters from a larger 
> alphabet, e.g., "aa",...,"Fd",..,"Z1",... 
One of these permutations is
> the character string "NA".  It seems that when I try to name one
of the
> dataList levels "NA", using names(dataList)<- nameList, the
names()
> function assigns the missing character to the level.  Is there someway 
> to preserve "NA" as the name of a level in dataList?  Here is the
R code
> I have been using to do this.
> 
> namePerms<- permutations(ncol(coinMat),2,colnames(coinMat),repeats=TRUE)
> nameList <- paste(namePerms[,1],namePerms[,2],sep="")
> dataList <- lapply(1:length(nameList), function(level) {})
> names(dataList)<-  nameList     ## The "NA" in nameList is
interpreted
> so that the name "NA" is missing for one level in dataList
> 
> I am running R 2.4.1 in the Windows XP environment.
> 
> Thanks for any help that can be offerred.
Your example is not reproducible and self-contained. What is 
"permutations" and "coinMat"??

I bet it isn't minimal either.

It doesn't seem to be happening for me with a recent(!) version of R, 
but you could just be misinterpreting the backtick quoting.

-
    O__  ---- Peter Dalgaard             ?ster Farimagsgade 5, Entr.B
   c/ /'_ --- Dept. of Biostatistics     PO Box 2099, 1014 Cph. K
  (*) \(*) -- University of Copenhagen   Denmark      Ph:  (+45) 35327918
~~~~~~~~~~ - (p.dalgaard at biostat.ku.dk)              FAX: (+45) 35327907

Quite irritating to me as the Manager of .NA too, when I
used NA for .NA :-)-O

el

Peter Dalgaard wrote:
> Cliff Behrens wrote:
>> One of these permutations
>> is the character string "NA".  It seems that when I try to
name one of
>> the dataList levels "NA", using names(dataList)<-
nameList, the
>> names() function assigns the missing character to the level.  Is there
>> someway to preserve "NA" as the name of a level in dataList?