R help - Feb 2012 - working on a vector with named elements - unname

Hi, I am working under R2.11.1 Windows.
I work with a set of parameters which is save under a vector. I think it is
easier to understand, which parameter is called in the vector by naming all
vector elements. For example, we have a vector which the parameters a,b,c,d.
Is it normal to allow, that there are two elements with the same name? I
think for lists, it is also possible. If I want to regroup the elements and
work on them, they always keep their old name. Event if I attribute to a new
name, the new name and the old name merge (lign3)

v<-c("a"=3,"a"=4,"c"=5,"d"=6)
v["a"] #output 3
c("n"=v["a"]+v["c"],"n1"=v["d"]*3)
# "n.a"=8 "n1.d"=18

Is there any better solution/datatype to this ?

c("n"=unname(v["a"])+unname(v["c"]),"n1"=unname(v["d"])*3)
# "n"=8 "n1"=18

Thanks a lot


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Hi

 
> Hi, I am working under R2.11.1 Windows.
Rather old one, consider upgrading
> I work with a set of parameters which is save under a vector. I think it 
is
> easier to understand, which parameter is called in the vector by naming 
all
> vector elements. For example, we have a vector which the parameters 
a,b,c,d.
> Is it normal to allow, that there are two elements with the same name? I
> think for lists, it is also possible. If I want to regroup the elements 
and
> work on them, they always keep their old name. Event if I attribute to a 
new
> name, the new name and the old name merge (lign3)
> 
> v<-c("a"=3,"a"=4,"c"=5,"d"=6)
> v["a"] #output 3
>
c("n"=v["a"]+v["c"],"n1"=v["d"]*3)
# "n.a"=8 "n1.d"=18
> 
> Is there any better solution/datatype to this ?
I am not at all an expert in such things but named vector seems to me 
rather strange solution.

compare

v<-c("a"=3,"a"=4,"c"=5,"d"=6)

vl<-list("a"=c(3,4),"c"=5,"d"=6)
> v["a"]
a 
3 
> vl["a"]
$a
[1] 3 4
> vl[["a"]]
[1] 3 4
>
This seems to me not correct
> c("n"=v["a"]+v["c"])
n.a 
  8 

as there are two values named "a", why only first shall be used?

while this seems to me correct
> c("n"=vl[["a"]]+vl[["c"]])
n1 n2 
 8  9 

both "a" values are included in computation
> 
>
c("n"=unname(v["a"])+unname(v["c"]),"n1"=unname(v["d"])*3)
# "n"=8
"n1"=18

Instead of
c("n"=unname(v["a"])+unname(v["c"]),"n1"=unname(v["d"])*3)
 n n1 
 8 18 

or
c("n"=vl[["a"]]+vl[["c"]],"n1"=vl[["d"]]*3)
n1 n2 n1 
 8  9 18 

I would use list which again seems to get more reasonable result.

list("n"=vl[["a"]]+vl[["c"]],"n1"=vl[["d"]]*3)
$n
[1] 8 9

$n1
[1] 18

Lists are not as complicated as they seems to be when you start with them. 
You can imagine them as a chest of drawers and you can store any kind of 
information in it. You can easily access only one ore some set of drawers.

Regards
Petr
> 
> Thanks a lot
> 
> 
> --
> View this message in context: 
http://r.789695.n4.nabble.com/working-on-a-
> vector-with-named-elements-unname-tp4389930p4389930.html
> Sent from the R help mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide 
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> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

Thanks for your help. I already considered using list. But as I want to put
some constraints on the entries and the form of the vector, I thought it
would be easier to verify them by using a vector instead of a list.

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You could use [[ instead of [, as the latter drops
the names.  E.g., after
  > v <-
c("a"=3,"a"=4,"c"=5,"d"=6)
change your
  >
c("n"=v["a"]+v["c"],"n1"=v["d"]*3)
# "n.a"=8 "n1.d"=18
   n.a n1.d 
     8   18 
to
  >
c("n"=v[["a"]]+v[["c"]],"n1"=v[["d"]]*3)
# "n"=8 "n1"=18
   n n1 
   8 18

Bill Dunlap
Spotfire, TIBCO Software
wdunlap tibco.com 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces at
r-project.org] On Behalf Of Alexander
> Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 1:43 AM
> To: r-help at r-project.org
> Subject: [R] working on a vector with named elements - unname
> 
> Hi, I am working under R2.11.1 Windows.
> I work with a set of parameters which is save under a vector. I think it is
> easier to understand, which parameter is called in the vector by naming all
> vector elements. For example, we have a vector which the parameters
a,b,c,d.
> Is it normal to allow, that there are two elements with the same name? I
> think for lists, it is also possible. If I want to regroup the elements and
> work on them, they always keep their old name. Event if I attribute to a
new
> name, the new name and the old name merge (lign3)
> 
> v<-c("a"=3,"a"=4,"c"=5,"d"=6)
> v["a"] #output 3
>
c("n"=v["a"]+v["c"],"n1"=v["d"]*3)
# "n.a"=8 "n1.d"=18
> 
> Is there any better solution/datatype to this ?
> 
>
c("n"=unname(v["a"])+unname(v["c"]),"n1"=unname(v["d"])*3)
# "n"=8 "n1"=18
> 
> Thanks a lot
> 
> 
> --
> View this message in context:
http://r.789695.n4.nabble.com/working-on-a-vector-with-named-elements-
> unname-tp4389930p4389930.html
> Sent from the R help mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> 
> ______________________________________________
> 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.