[R] confint.glm in a function

[Spencer Graves]

      I can't get confint.glm to work from within a function.  Consider 
the following (using R 1.9.1, Windows 2000): 

# FIRST: SOMETHING THAT WORKS FROM A COMMAND PROMPT
DF <- data.frame(y=.1, N=100)
(fit <- glm(y~1, family=binomial, data=DF,
            weights=DF[,"N"]))
Call:  glm(formula = y ~ 1, family = binomial, data = DF, weights = 
DF[,      "N"])

Coefficients:
(Intercept) 
     -2.197 

Degrees of Freedom: 0 Total (i.e. Null);  0 Residual
Null Deviance:        0
Residual Deviance: -1.11e-14     AIC: 6.052

confint(fit)
 > confint(fit)
            2.5 % 97.5 %
(Intercept)   NaN    NaN
Warning message:
NaNs produced in: qt(p, df, lower.tail, log.p)
# The default confint thinks it knows glm, but doesn't.  This is fixed 
with: 
library(MASS)
confint(fit)
Waiting for profiling to be done...
    2.5 %    97.5 %
-2.915193 -1.594401
# This is on the logit space.  For proportions: 
Waiting for profiling to be done...
    2.5 %    97.5 %
0.0514076 0.1687655

# PUT IT IN A FUNCTION: 
confint.binom <- function(y="y", size="N", data.=DF){
  fit <- glm(y~1, family=binomial, data=data.,
             weights=data.[,size])
  CI <- confint(fit)
  CI
}
 > confint.binom()
Waiting for profiling to be done...
Error in model.frame.default(formula = y ~ 1, data = data., weights = 
data.[,  :
    Object "data." not found

##To get around this, assign both data. and size to some place where 
confint.glm can find them
confint.binom.pos <- function(y="y", size="N", data.=DF,
            pos=0){
  assign("data.", data., pos)
  assign("size", size, pos)
  fit <- glm(y~1, family=binomial, data=data.,
             weights=data.[,size])
  CI <- confint(fit)
  CI
}
 > confint.binom.pos()
Error in as.environment(pos) : invalid argument

 > confint.binom.pos(pos=-1)
Waiting for profiling to be done...
Error in model.frame.default(formula = y ~ 1, data = data., weights = 
data.[,  :
    Object "data." not found
 > confint.binom.pos(pos=1)
Waiting for profiling to be done...
    2.5 %    97.5 %
-2.915193 -1.594401
# This works. 
#  HOWEVER, THIS ASSIGNS data. AND size TO THE WORKING DIRECTORY. 
# HOW CAN I GET AROUND THIS? 

      If I had "confint.glm", I could modify it so it could find data. 
and size.  However, its hidden. 

      Thanks for your help. 
      Spencer Graves