[R] plot is not keeping the order of variable

[Don MacQueen]

Perhaps this example will help.

>  x <- factor(c('b','a','d'), levels=c('a','d','b'))
>  y <- 1:3
>  plot(x,y)

And compare with

>  z <- factor(c('b','a','d'))
>  plot(z,y)

In the first, the plot is in the order that I chose. In the second it 
is in the order that R chose -- and R chose it according to a 
built-in and reasonable rule.

-Don

At 6:30 PM +0200 2/21/10, Or Duek wrote:
>Ok,
>It seems that the problem lays in the order (as Ista mentioned),
>But, when I ask R to order it he chooses to order it by size and not by the
>specific order I mentioned when I built the vector.
>Is it possible to tell him to keep the order as mentioned?
>Thank you.
>
>
>On Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 6:16 PM, Ista Zahn <istazahn at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>  Hi Or,
>>  I can't know for sure what your problem is without an example, but the
>>  first thing I would do is check to make sure that your labels are
>>  stored as an ordered factor (and that the order is correct). See
>>  ?factor for details.
>>
>>  Best,
>>  Ista
>>
>>  On Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 10:57 AM, Or Duek <orduek at gmail.com> wrote:
>>  > Hi,
>>  > I created a simple data frame with one factor and one numerical variable.
>>  > The factor was actually a vector of names of techniques to trimm reaction
>>  > time data.
>>  > I want to create a plot that shows the value of F test for every trimming
>>  > method.
>>  > So the data frame has its trim factor (who has those labels
>>  > "mean","2500","2000","1500","1000","log","inverse","1SD","2SD")
>>  > and the numerical variable of the data frame has the F values for each
>>  one
>>  > of those trimming method.
>>  > When I ask R to plot it, it doesn't keep the order of the trimm verctor
>>  > correctly and the plot confuses the order so the most left one will be
>>  1500
>>  > and then 1SD etc.
>>  > The values are correct but it is important for me to keep it in the same
>>  > order I built it.
>>  > How can I do it?
>>  > Thank you very much,
>  > > Or D.
>  > >
>  > >        [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>  > >
>  > > ______________________________________________
>  > > R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>  > > https://*stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>  > PLEASE do read the posting guide
>>  http://*www.*R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>  > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>>  >
>>
>>
>>
>>  --
>>  Ista Zahn
>>  Graduate student
>>  University of Rochester
>>  Department of Clinical and Social Psychology
>>  http://*yourpsyche.org
>>
>
>	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
>______________________________________________
>R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>https://*stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>PLEASE do read the posting guide http://*www.*R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.


-- 
--------------------------------------
Don MacQueen
Environmental Protection Department
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Livermore, CA, USA
925-423-1062