As Peter pointed out.
data loads data from packages. Various formats are supported. The package
author(s) will decide how best to ship (and load) any such data.
When you call `data(iris)`, it loads iris as it is defined in the datasets
package
The definition can be seen here:
https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/trunk/src/library/datasets/data/iris.R
You will note that Species is explicitly a factor and it won't have been read
in by read.table, but by being "source()d" because it is a .R file.
Michael
From: R-devel [r-devel-boun...@r-project.org] on behalf of Cook, Malcolm
[m...@stowers.org]
Sent: Friday, 19 February 2016 11:03 AM
To: 'peter dalgaard'
Cc: r-de...@stat.math.ethz.ch
Subject: Re: [Rd] should `data` respect default.stringsAsFactors()?
Hi Peter,
Sorry if I was not clear. Perhaps an example will make my point:
> data(iris)
> class(iris$Species)
[1] "factor"
> write.table(iris,'data/myiris.tab')
> data(myiris)
> class(myiris$Species)
[1] "factor"
> rm(myiris)
> options(stringsAsFactors = FALSE)
> data(myiris)
> class(myiris$Species)
[1] "factor"
> myiris<-read.table("data/myiris.tab",header=TRUE)
> class(myiris$Species)
[1] "character"
I am surprised to find that in the above
setting the global option stringsAsFactors = FALSE does NOT effect
how Species is being read in by the `data` function
whereas
setting the global option stringsAsFactors = FALSE DOES effect how
Species is being read in by read.table
especially since data is documented as calling read.table.
In my opinion, one or the other should change (the behavior of data, or the
documentation).
,
~ Malcolm
> -Original Message-
> From: peter dalgaard [mailto:pda...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2016 3:32 PM
> To: Cook, Malcolm
> Cc: r-de...@stat.math.ethz.ch
> Subject: Re: [Rd] should `data` respect default.stringsAsFactors()?
>
> What the are you on about? data() does many things, only some of
> which call read.table() et al., and the ones that do have no special
> treatment
> of stringsAsFactors.
>
> -pd
>
> > On 18 Feb 2016, at 21:25 , Cook, Malcolm wrote:
> >
> > Hiya,
> >
> > Probably been debated elsewhere
> >
> > I note that R's `data` function does not respect default.stringsAsFactors
> >
> > By my lights, it should, especially as it is documented to call read.table,
> which DOES respect.
> >
> > Oh, but: http://r.789695.n4.nabble.com/stringsAsFactors-FALSE-
> tp921891p921893.html
> >
> > Compelling. I have to agree.
> >
> > So, I change my mind.
> >
> > By my lights, `data` should then be documented to NOT respect
> default.stringsAsFactors.
> >
> > Else?
> >
> > ~Malcolm Cook
> >
> > __
> > R-devel@r-project.org mailing list
> > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>
> --
> Peter Dalgaard, Professor,
> Center for Statistics, Copenhagen Business School
> Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
> Phone: (+45)38153501
> Office: A 4.23
> Email: pd@cbs.dk Priv: pda...@gmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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