Jason Rupert
2009-Apr-08 14:13 UTC
[R] R File I/O Capability - Writing output to specific lines of existing file
Currently I am using the R "write" command to output results to a *.txt file and then copying those results into an initialization file. In an attempt to continue to automate the process I would like to have R write to the location in the existing initialization file, instead of me copying the data over. By any chance are there any R commands to help? Primarily, I will be using Windows, and the initialization file is a simple flat file, i.e. not XML or binary. I looked at: (a) http://www.stat.ucl.ac.be/ISdidactique/Rhelp/library/R.io/html/00Index.html (b) http://search.r-project.org/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=File+I%2FO&max=100&result=normal&sort=score&idxname=functions&idxname=Rhelp08 But, this did not appear to provide the functionality to edit an existing file by adding information to the middle of the file. Thank you again for any help and insight.
jim holtman
2009-Apr-09 01:02 UTC
[R] R File I/O Capability - Writing output to specific lines of existing file
You can always read in the initialization file, make the updates to it and then write it back out. If it is a text file, it would be very hard to write into the middle of it since there is no structure to the file. You can read it in as a table (read.table) or just as lines (readLines) and the make any changes you want. You can use regular expressions if you want to put something in the middle of one of the lines you have read in. On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 10:13 AM, Jason Rupert <jasonkrupert at yahoo.com> wrote:> > Currently I am using the R "write" command to output results to a *.txt file and then copying those results into an initialization file. ?In an attempt to continue to automate the process I would like to have R write to the location in the existing initialization file, instead of me copying the data over. > > By any chance are there any R commands to help? > > Primarily, I will be using Windows, and the initialization file is a simple flat file, i.e. not XML or binary. > > I looked at: > (a) http://www.stat.ucl.ac.be/ISdidactique/Rhelp/library/R.io/html/00Index.html > > (b) http://search.r-project.org/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=File+I%2FO&max=100&result=normal&sort=score&idxname=functions&idxname=Rhelp08 > > But, this did not appear to provide the functionality to edit an existing file by adding information to the middle of the file. > > Thank you again for any help and insight. > > ______________________________________________ > R-help at r-project.org mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. >-- Jim Holtman Cincinnati, OH +1 513 646 9390 What is the problem that you are trying to solve?
Jason Rupert
2009-Apr-09 04:26 UTC
[R] R File I/O Capability - Writing output to specific lines of existing file
Darn. I was afraid of this. Always kind of weak when it comes to file I/O approaches, so I guess I will have to stretch and try to put something together. Yeah. The input flat text file is about 600 lines long. I will be replacing about 200. I already have the template for those 200 lines. I guess I will just need to read down to line 400 and replace until line 600. Thanks again for all the insights regarding this. --- On Wed, 4/8/09, jim holtman <jholtman at gmail.com> wrote:> From: jim holtman <jholtman at gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [R] R File I/O Capability - Writing output to specific lines of existing file > To: jasonkrupert at yahoo.com > Cc: R-help at r-project.org > Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 8:02 PM > You can always read in the initialization file, make the > updates to it > and then write it back out. If it is a text file, it would > be very > hard to write into the middle of it since there is no > structure to the > file. You can read it in as a table (read.table) or just > as lines > (readLines) and the make any changes you want. You can use > regular > expressions if you want to put something in the middle of > one of the > lines you have read in. > > On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 10:13 AM, Jason Rupert > <jasonkrupert at yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > Currently I am using the R "write" command > to output results to a *.txt file and then copying those > results into an initialization file. ?In an attempt to > continue to automate the process I would like to have R > write to the location in the existing initialization file, > instead of me copying the data over. > > > > By any chance are there any R commands to help? > > > > Primarily, I will be using Windows, and the > initialization file is a simple flat file, i.e. not XML or > binary. > > > > I looked at: > > (a) > http://www.stat.ucl.ac.be/ISdidactique/Rhelp/library/R.io/html/00Index.html > > > > (b) > http://search.r-project.org/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=File+I%2FO&max=100&result=normal&sort=score&idxname=functions&idxname=Rhelp08 > > > > But, this did not appear to provide the functionality > to edit an existing file by adding information to the middle > of the file. > > > > Thank you again for any help and insight. > > > > ______________________________________________ > > R-help at r-project.org mailing list > > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > > PLEASE do read the posting guide > http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, > reproducible code. > > > > > > -- > Jim Holtman > Cincinnati, OH > +1 513 646 9390 > > What is the problem that you are trying to solve?
Related to the posting below, by any chance is there a "Template Engine" package for R? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_processor This may make this type of editing much easier? Maybe... Thanks again. --- On Wed, 4/8/09, Jason Rupert <jasonkrupert at yahoo.com> wrote:> From: Jason Rupert <jasonkrupert at yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [R] R File I/O Capability - Writing output to specific lines of existing file > To: "jim holtman" <jholtman at gmail.com> > Cc: R-help at r-project.org > Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 11:26 PM > Darn. > > I was afraid of this. Always kind of weak when it comes to > file I/O approaches, so I guess I will have to stretch and > try to put something together. > > Yeah. The input flat text file is about 600 lines long. I > will be replacing about 200. I already have the template > for those 200 lines. I guess I will just need to read down > to line 400 and replace until line 600. > > Thanks again for all the insights regarding this. > > > > --- On Wed, 4/8/09, jim holtman <jholtman at gmail.com> > wrote: > > > From: jim holtman <jholtman at gmail.com> > > Subject: Re: [R] R File I/O Capability - Writing > output to specific lines of existing file > > To: jasonkrupert at yahoo.com > > Cc: R-help at r-project.org > > Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 8:02 PM > > You can always read in the initialization file, make the > > updates to it and then write it back out. If it is a text > > file, it would be very hard to write into the middle of > > it since there is no structure to the file. You can read > > it in as a table (read.table) or just as lines > > (readLines) and the make any changes you want. You can use > > regular expressions if you want to put something in the > > middle of one of the lines you have read in. > > > > On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 10:13 AM, Jason Rupert > > <jasonkrupert at yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > Currently I am using the R "write"command > > to output results to a *.txt file and then copying those > > results into an initialization file. ?In an attempt to > > continue to automate the process I would like to have R > > write to the location in the existing initialization file, > > instead of me copying the data over. > > By any chance are there any R commands to help? > > Primarily, I will be using Windows, and the > > initialization file is a simple flat file, i.e. not XML or > > binary. > > > > I looked at: > > (a) > http://www.stat.ucl.ac.be/ISdidactique/Rhelp/library/R.io/html/00Index.html > > (b) http://search.r-project.org/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=File+I%2FO&max=100&result=normal&sort=score&idxname=functions&idxname=Rhelp08 > > > > But, this did not appear to provide the functionality > > to edit an existing file by adding information to the middle > > of the file. > > > > Thank you again for any help and insight. > >