R Cookbook, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4. Input and Output

All statistical work begins with data, and most data is stuck inside files and databases. Dealing with input is probably the first step of implementing any significant statistical project.

All statistical work ends with reporting numbers back to a client, even if you are the client. Formatting and producing output is probably the climax of your project.

Casual R users can solve their input problems by using basic readr package functions such as read_csv to read CSV files and read_delim to read more complicated, tabular data. They can use print, cat, and format to produce simple reports.

Users with heavy-duty input/output (I/O) needs are strongly encouraged to read the R Data Import/Export guide, available on CRAN. This manual includes important information on reading data from sources such as spreadsheets, binary files, other statistical systems, and relational databases.

4.1 Entering Data from the Keyboard

Problem

You have a small amount of data—too small to justify the overhead of creating an input file. You just want to enter the data directly into your workspace.

Solution

For very small datasets, enter the data as literals using the c constructor for vectors:

scores <- c(61, 66, 90, 88, 100)

Discussion

When working on a simple problem, you may not want the hassle of creating and then reading a data file outside of R. You may just want to enter the data into R. The easiest way to do so is by using the c constructor for vectors, as shown in ...