write: Write data from R in files in different formats
In SciViews/data.io: Read and Write Data in Different Formats

write

R Documentation

Write data from R in files in different formats

Description

Write R data into a file, in different formats.

Usage

write(
  data,
  file = "data",
  ncolumns = if (is.character(data)) 1 else 5,
  append = FALSE,
  sep = " ",
  type = NULL,
  fun_list = NULL,
  x,
  ...
)

## S3 method for class 'write_function_subset'
.DollarNames(x, pattern = "")

Arguments

`data`	An object to write in a file. The accepted class depends on what the delegated function expects (in many cases, a `data.frame` or `tibble` is just fine). If `type` is not provided, a `data.frame` is not suitable because only an atomic vector can be provided. Give a `matrix` instead, if you want to write tabular data, or provide `type = "txt"` for instance.
`file`	The path to the file to write to. If `type` is not provide, a connection, or a character string naming the file to write to. If ⁠""``, print to the standard output connection. If it is ⁠"\|cmd"`⁠, the output is piped to the command given by ⁠`cmd'.
`ncolumns`	The number of columns to write the data in when `type` is provided, this is by-passed.
`append`	If `TRUE` and `type` is not provided, the `data` are appended to the connection.
`sep`	A string used to separate columns. Using `sep = "\t"` gives tab delimited output; default is `" "` when `type` is not provide, or the default provided by the delegated function if this parameter is present there.
`type`	The type (format) of data to read.
`fun_list`	The table with correspondence of the types, read, and write functions.
`x`	Same as `⁠data=⁠`, for compatibility with `base::write()`. Please, do not use both `⁠data=⁠` and `⁠x=⁠` as the same time, or an error will be generated.
`...`	Further arguments passed to the write function, when `type` is explicitly provided.
`pattern`	A regular expression to list matching names.

Details

This function is designed to be fully compatible with base::write(), while allowing to specify type also, and get a more interesting behavior in this case. Hence, when type is not provided, either with write(type = ...), or write$...(), the default code is used and a plain text file wit fields separated by spaces (be default) is written. When type is provided, then the exportation is delegated to specific functions (see data_types()) to write the data in different formats.

Value

data is returned invisibly (on the contrary to base::write() which returns NULL).

Author(s)

Philippe Grosjean phgrosjean@sciviews.org

Examples

# Always specify type to delegate to more sophisticated functions
# (type = NULL explicitly indicated meaning: "guess from file extension")
urchin <- read("urchin_bio", package = "data.io")
write(urchin, "urchin_temporary.csv", type = NULL)
# To use a format more easily readable by Excel
write(urchin, "urchin_temporary.csv", type = "xlcsv")
# ... equivalently (and more compact)
write$xlcsv(urchin, "urchin_temporary.csv")
# Tidy up
unlink("urchin_temporary.csv")

# Write in Excel format
write$xlsx(urchin, "urchin_temporary.xlsx")
# Tidy up
unlink("urchin_temporary.xlsx")

# Use base::write() code to output atomic vectors (and matices) in text files
# when you don't specify type=
mat1 <- matrix(1:12, nrow = 4)
# To get a similar presentation in the file, you have to do:
write(t(mat1), "my_temporary_data.txt", ncolumns = 3)
file.show("my_temporary_data.txt")
# Tidy up
unlink("my_temporary_data.txt")
rm(mat1)

SciViews/data.io documentation built on May 5, 2024, 1:39 p.m.