Re: [Rd] Unexpected argument-matching when some are missing
It looks like you're right that somewhere in (presumably) match.call, the
named, empty arguments are removed, such that the call plot(x=1:10, y=, 10:1)
is translated to plot(x=1:10, 10:1).
But I would have expected it to be the same as plot(x=1:10, , 10:1) (note the
", ,"), which gives an error (10:1 is not a valid plot-type). In this case you
get an error straightaway, I find this more interesting:
> options(warn=-1)
> plot(x=1, y=, 'p', ylim=c(0,10))
> plot(x=1, , 'p', ylim=c(0,10))
Both valid (no errors), albeit strange calls, but I'd say the first call is
better code, it's clearer you intend to not give any value for y. But exactly
this one gives unexpected results: it tries to plot at position (1, 'p'), or
(1, NA).
And the behaviour as it is gives rise to some strange inconsistencies. I have
gathered some examples below (at the very bottom of the thread, as it got quite
extensive), where some variations are surprisingly different from each other.
There are also some issues when using data.frame(...)[i=, j=,...], but at least
here you are warned about naming i and j.
But basically, it means any function where arguments like fun(,,) are a valid
possibility should throw the same warning, e.g. any R-code replacement of
[.matrix or [.array, or as in my examples, for data.table (and related
structures)
On 29/11/2018, 19:10, "S Ellison" wrote:
> > plot(x=1:10, y=)
> > plot(x=1:10, y=, 10:1)
> >
> > In both cases, 'y=' is ignored. In the first, the plot is for y=NULL
(so not
> 'missing' y)
> > In the second case, 10:1 is positionally matched to y despite the
intervening
> 'missing' 'y='
> >
> > So it isn't just 'missing'; it's 'not there at all'
>
> What exactly is the difference between "missing" and "not there at all"?
A "missing argument" in R means that an argument with no default value was
omitted from the call, and that is what I meant by "missing".
But that is not what is happening here. I was talking about "y=" apparently
being treated as not present in the call, rather than the argument y being
treated as a missing argument.
In these examples, plot.default has a default value for y (NULL) so y can
never be "missing" in the sense of the 'missing argument' error (compare what
happens with plot(y=1:10), which reports x as 'missing').
In the first example, y was (from the plot behaviour) taken as NULL - the
default - so was not considered a missing argument. In the second, it was taken
as 10:1 - again, non-missing, despite 10:1 being in the normal position for the
(character) argument "type".
But neither call did anything at all with "y=". Instead, the behaviour is
consistent with what would have happened if 'y=' were "not present at all" when
counting position or named argument list, rather than if 'y' were an absent
required argument.
It _looks_ as if the initial call parsing silently ignored the malformed
expression "y=" before any argument matching - positional or by name - takes
place.
But I'm thinking that it'll take an R-core guru to explain what's going on
here, so I was going to wait and see.
Steve Ellison
Exampled if what I (Emil) found odd:
---
> library(data.table)
> options(warn=1) # Or 2
> data.table(a=1:2, b=3:4)[1] # As expected
a b
1: 1 3
> data.table(a=1:2, b=3:4)[, 1] # As expected
a
1: 1
2: 2
> data.table(a=1:2, b=3:4)[i=, 1] # Huh? We get the first row
a b
1: 1 3
> data.table(a=1:2, b=3:4)[, 1, 'a'] # As expected
a V1
1: 1 1
2: 2 1
> data.table(a=1:2, b=3:4)[i=, 1, 'a'] # I would have expected the same result,
> and definitely more than 1 value
a
1: 1
> data.table(a=1:2, b=3:4)[i=, 1, by='a'] # And this doesn't work?
Error in `[.data.table`(data.table(a = 1:2, b = 3:4), i = , 1, by = "a") :
'by' or 'keyby' is supplied but not j
> myfun <- function(x,y,z) {
+ print(match.call())
+ cat('nargs: ', nargs(), '\n')
+ cat('x=',if(missing(x)) 'missing' else x, '\n')
+ cat('y=',if(missing(y)) 'missing' else y, '\n')
+ cat('z=',if(missing(z)) 'missing' else z, '\n')
+ }
> myfun(x=, y=, , , "z's value") # 5 arguments??
myfun(z = "z's value")
nargs: 5
x= missing
y= missing
z= z's value
> myfun(x=, y=, , , "z's value", , ) # But any more are not allowed
Error in myfun(x = , y = , , , "z's value", , ) :
unused arguments (alist(, ))
> myfun(x2=, y=, "z's value") # And named arguments are ignored, but the names
> have to be to existing argument-names
Error in myfun(x2 = , y = , "z's value") : unused argument (alist(x2 = ))
> myfun(x=, x=, , "z's value") # And naming it multiple times also gives an
> error
Error in myfun(x = , x = , , "z's value") :
formal argument "x" matched by multiple actual arguments
> myfun(y=, , "z's value", x=3) # Having fun with obfuscation, is this call
> b
Re: [Rd] Unexpected argument-matching when some are missing
> Yes, I think all of that is correct. But y _is_ missing in this sense: > > plot(1:10, y=) > > ... > Browse[2]> missing(y) Although I said what I meant by 'missing' vs 'not present', it wasn't exactly what missing() means. My bad. missing() returns TRUE if an argument is not specified in the call _whether or not_ it has a default, hence the behaviour of missing(y) in debug(plot). But we can easily find out whether a default has been assigned: plot(1:10, y=, type=) Browse[2]> y NULL Browse[2]> type "p" ... which is consistent with silent omission of 'y=' and 'type=' Still waiting for a guru... Steve E *** This email and any attachments are confidential. Any use, copying or disclosure other than by the intended recipient is unauthorised. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately via +44(0)20 8943 7000 or notify postmas...@lgcgroup.com and delete this message and any copies from your computer and network. LGC Limited. Registered in England 2991879. Registered office: Queens Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0LY, UK __ R-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
Re: [Rd] Unexpected argument-matching when some are missing
But the main point is where arguments are mixed together:
> debugonce(plot.default)
> plot(x=1:10, y=, 'l')
...
Browse[2]> missing(y)
[1] FALSE
Browse[2]> y
[1] "l"
Browse[2]> type
[1] "p"
I think that's what I fall over mostly: that named, empty arguments behave
entirely different from omitting them (", ,")
And I definitely agree we need a guru to explain it all to us (
Cheers, Emil Bode
On 30/11/2018, 15:35, "S Ellison" wrote:
> Yes, I think all of that is correct. But y _is_ missing in this sense:
> > plot(1:10, y=)
> > ...
> Browse[2]> missing(y)
Although I said what I meant by 'missing' vs 'not present', it wasn't
exactly what missing() means. My bad.
missing() returns TRUE if an argument is not specified in the call _whether
or not_ it has a default, hence the behaviour of missing(y) in debug(plot).
But we can easily find out whether a default has been assigned:
plot(1:10, y=, type=)
Browse[2]> y
NULL
Browse[2]> type
"p"
... which is consistent with silent omission of 'y=' and 'type='
Still waiting for a guru...
Steve E
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Re: [Rd] Unexpected argument-matching when some are missing
Argument matching is by name first, then the still missing arguments
are filled positionally. Unnamed missing arguments are thus left
missing. Does that help?
Michael
On Fri, Nov 30, 2018 at 8:18 AM Emil Bode wrote:
>
> But the main point is where arguments are mixed together:
>
> > debugonce(plot.default)
> > plot(x=1:10, y=, 'l')
> ...
> Browse[2]> missing(y)
> [1] FALSE
> Browse[2]> y
> [1] "l"
> Browse[2]> type
> [1] "p"
>
> I think that's what I fall over mostly: that named, empty arguments behave
> entirely different from omitting them (", ,")
>
> And I definitely agree we need a guru to explain it all to us (
>
> Cheers, Emil Bode
>
>
> On 30/11/2018, 15:35, "S Ellison" wrote:
>
> > Yes, I think all of that is correct. But y _is_ missing in this sense:
> > > plot(1:10, y=)
> > > ...
> > Browse[2]> missing(y)
>
> Although I said what I meant by 'missing' vs 'not present', it wasn't
> exactly what missing() means. My bad.
> missing() returns TRUE if an argument is not specified in the call
> _whether or not_ it has a default, hence the behaviour of missing(y) in
> debug(plot).
>
> But we can easily find out whether a default has been assigned:
> plot(1:10, y=, type=)
> Browse[2]> y
> NULL
> Browse[2]> type
> "p"
>
> ... which is consistent with silent omission of 'y=' and 'type='
>
>
> Still waiting for a guru...
>
> Steve E
>
>
>
> ***
> This email and any attachments are confidential. Any use, copying or
> disclosure other than by the intended recipient is unauthorised. If
> you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
> immediately via +44(0)20 8943 7000 or notify postmas...@lgcgroup.com
> and delete this message and any copies from your computer and network.
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