You can reproduce the problem by having a data.frame (or anything else) in your environment:
new <- data.frame(ï..VAR00001 = rep(c(TRUE,NA,FALSE), c(10,2,8)), random=rep(1:3,len=20), clustno=rep(c(1:5),len=20), validatedRS6=rep(0:1,len=20)) model1<- glmer(validatedRS6 ~ random + (1|clustno), data=new, family=binomial(), nAGQ=3) # Error in do.call(new, c(list(Class = "glmResp", family = family), ll[setdiff(names(ll), : # 'what' must be a character string or a function The problem is in the call do.call(new, list()) It finds your dataset 'new' (in .GlobalEnv), which is not a function or the name of a function, not the function 'new' from the 'methods' package. Rename your dataset, so you do not have anything called 'new' masking the one in package:methods, and things should work. Write to the maintainer of the package (use maintainer("lme4") for the address) about the problem. Bill Dunlap Spotfire, TIBCO Software wdunlap tibco.com > -----Original Message----- > From: r-help-boun...@r-project.org [mailto:r-help-boun...@r-project.org] On > Behalf > Of EmmaB > Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 4:48 PM > To: r-help@r-project.org > Subject: Re: [R] Error message glmer using R: “ 'what' must be a character > string or a > function” > > > str(new) > 'data.frame': 1214 obs. of 4 variables: > $ ï..VAR00001 : logi NA NA NA NA NA NA ... > $ random : int 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ... > $ clustno : int 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ... > $ validatedRS6: int 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ... > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://r.789695.n4.nabble.com/Error-message-glmer- > using-R-what-must-be-a-character-string-or-a-function-tp4679829p4679836.html > Sent from the R help mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > ______________________________________________ > 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.