[R] using variable from for loop in naming new variables

[David Winsemius]

On Sep 16, 2010, at 11:44 AM, Maas James Dr (MED) wrote:

> Simple one here ... but can't get it to work ...
>
> for (i in 1:4){
>    paste("stuff",[i]),sep="") <- 3 + i
> }
>
> ls()
> rm(list=ls())

 > for (i in 1:4){
+    paste("stuff",[i]),sep="") <- 3 + i
Error: unexpected '[' in:
"for (i in 1:4){
    paste("stuff",["

So the first error pointed you to a problem
 > }
Error: unexpected '}' in "}"

Fixing that error points you to another:
 > for (i in 1:4){
+    paste("stuff", i),sep="") <- 3 + i
Error: unexpected ',' in:
"for (i in 1:4){
    paste("stuff", i),"

And when the syntax gets unsnarled you find that you are trying not  
using the correct semantics for assignment:

 > for (i in 1:4){
+    paste("stuff",i,sep="") <- 3 + i
+ }
Error in paste("stuff", i, sep = "") <- 3 + i :
   target of assignment expands to non-language object

You are currently attempting to "assign" a numeric value to a  
character vector. (That is, once stop throwing an error because  
putting the square brackets around "i" ... and you lose the right- 
paren before the sep argument.)  Try looking at the help page for  
assign (and working more basic examples):

?assign.

>
>
>
> I just want it to create 4 new variables called stuff1, stuff2,  
> stuff3, stuff4 with the corresponding assignments.  I realise that  
> there are more elegant functions but this is just a model of a  
> bigger situation.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim
>
>
> ===============================
> Dr. Jim Maas
> University of East Anglia
>
>
> 	[[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.

David Winsemius, MD
West Hartford, CT