Would this be good enough: # example using builtin BOD data frame write.csv(cbind(Z = row.names(BOD), BOD), row.names = FALSE)
On Oct 31, 2007 7:04 PM, Earl F. Glynn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've always been frustrated that R never puts a label on the column name for > a column of row names. This is usually the "key" in a database table, and > it sure would be nice to carry a "key" name along with the data instead of > the field being blank. So, why is it a good idea for it to be blank? > > ?write.csv says this: > > CSV files > By default there is no column name for a column of row names. If > col.names = NA and row.names = TRUE > a blank column name is added, which is the convention used for CSV files > to be read by spreadsheets. > > > This last sentence doesn't make any sense to me: "the convention used for > CSV files to be read by spreadsheets". Spreadsheets don't care whether this > column is blank or has useful information. R may have a convention to leave > the column name for a column of row names blank (I don't understand why), > but most other applications do not. > > I seem to spend a lot of time trying to get this blank field "fixed" since > it's just not right to have a database "key" be blank. I often must > manually edit the .csv file written by R since that's easier than the kludge > to put the column names in a new column one so they can have a column name > too, and then suppress the row names in the write.csv. > > What am I missing? Is there an easy way to fill this blank field with a > useful name for a database key when using write.csv defaults? > > Thanks for any insight on this. > > efg > > Earl F. Glynn > Scientific Programmer > Stowers Institute for Medical Research > > ______________________________________________ > R-help@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. > ______________________________________________ R-help@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.
