R Tutorial
Fundamentals of R
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Machine Learning with R
In R, lists are versatile data structures that can hold multiple objects of different types, including data frames. Having a list of data frames can be useful in scenarios like importing multiple datasets, running a series of analyses, or applying functions across several data frames.
Here's a tutorial on working with a list of data frames in R:
Let's create three sample data frames and put them in a list:
df1 <- data.frame(A = 1:3, B = 4:6) df2 <- data.frame(X = c("a", "b", "c"), Y = c("d", "e", "f")) df3 <- data.frame(M = rnorm(3), N = rnorm(3)) list_of_dfs <- list(df1, df2, df3)
You can access data frames in the list by their index:
list_of_dfs[[1]]
This returns df1
.
To make access easier, you can assign names to the data frames in the list:
names(list_of_dfs) <- c("First", "Second", "Third") list_of_dfs$First # This accesses df1
The lapply()
function is useful to apply a function to each element of a list:
# Get dimensions of each dataframe in the list dims <- lapply(list_of_dfs, dim) # Convert all character columns to factors in each dataframe list_of_dfs <- lapply(list_of_dfs, function(df) { is_char <- sapply(df, is.character) df[is_char] <- lapply(df[is_char], as.factor) return(df) })
If the data frames have the same columns, you can row-bind them using do.call()
:
combined_df <- do.call(rbind, list_of_dfs)
You can add a new data frame to the list:
df4 <- data.frame(O = runif(3), P = runif(3)) list_of_dfs$Fourth <- df4
To remove a data frame, you can set its value to NULL
:
list_of_dfs$First <- NULL
Using loops, you can iterate over each data frame in the list:
for(df_name in names(list_of_dfs)) { print(paste("Dataframe:", df_name)) print(head(list_of_dfs[[df_name]])) }
Lists in R provide a flexible way to work with collections of data frames, allowing for structured data management, efficient operations across multiple data frames, and streamlined workflows.
Creating a list of dataframes in R:
Overview: Learn how to create a list containing multiple dataframes.
Code:
# Creating a list of dataframes df1 <- data.frame(ID = 1:3, Value = c("A", "B", "C")) df2 <- data.frame(ID = 4:6, Value = c("D", "E", "F")) df_list <- list(df1, df2) # Display the list of dataframes print("List of Dataframes:") print(df_list)
Manipulating lists of dataframes in R:
Overview: Explore common operations on lists of dataframes, such as subsetting and modification.
Code:
# Accessing and modifying elements in the list df_list[[1]]$Value[1] <- "X" # Display the modified list of dataframes print("Modified List of Dataframes:") print(df_list)
R combine dataframes into a list:
Overview: Learn different methods to combine existing dataframes into a list.
Code:
# Combining dataframes into a list df3 <- data.frame(ID = 7:9, Value = c("G", "H", "I")) combined_df_list <- list(df1, df2, df3) # Display the combined list of dataframes print("Combined List of Dataframes:") print(combined_df_list)
Accessing elements in a list of dataframes in R:
Overview: Understand how to access specific dataframes within a list.
Code:
# Accessing specific dataframe in the list df_subset <- combined_df_list[[2]] # Display the accessed dataframe print("Accessed Dataframe:") print(df_subset)
R lapply with list of dataframes example:
Overview: Use lapply
to apply a function to each dataframe in a list.
Code:
# Applying a function to each dataframe in the list modified_df_list <- lapply(combined_df_list, function(df) { df$Value <- toupper(df$Value) return(df) }) # Display the modified list of dataframes print("Modified List of Dataframes:") print(modified_df_list)
Appending dataframes to a list in R:
Overview: Learn how to add new dataframes to an existing list.
Code:
# Appending a new dataframe to the list df4 <- data.frame(ID = 10:12, Value = c("J", "K", "L")) combined_df_list <- c(combined_df_list, list(df4)) # Display the updated list of dataframes print("Updated List of Dataframes:") print(combined_df_list)
Converting list of dataframes to a single dataframe in R:
Overview: Combine all dataframes in a list into a single dataframe.
Code:
# Converting list of dataframes to a single dataframe combined_df <- do.call(rbind, combined_df_list) # Display the combined dataframe print("Combined Dataframe:") print(combined_df)
R split data frame into a list of dataframes:
Overview: Learn how to split a dataframe into a list of dataframes based on a specific criterion.
Code:
# Splitting a dataframe into a list of dataframes split_df_list <- split(combined_df, combined_df$ID %% 2) # Display the split list of dataframes print("Split List of Dataframes:") print(split_df_list)