"replace" function examples

user_1201032 0
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I don't find the help page for the replace function from the base package to be very helpful. Worst part, it has no examples which could help understand how it works.

Could you please explain how to use it? An example or two would be great.

r
5 Answers

You can also use logical tests 

x <- data.frame(a = c(0,1,2,NA), b = c(0,NA,1,2), c = c(NA, 0, 1, 2)) 
x
x$a <- replace(x$a, is.na(x$a), 0)
x
x$b <- replace(x$b, x$b==2, 333)
user_16717930

Here's an example where I found the replace( ) function helpful for giving me insight. The problem required a long integer vector be changed into a character vector and with its integers replaced by given character values.

## figuring out replace( )
(test <- c(rep(1,3),rep(2,2),rep(3,1)))

which looks like 

[1] 1 1 1 2 2 3

and I want to replace every 1 with an A and 2 with a B and 3 with a C

letts <- c("A","B","C")

so in my own secret little "dirty-verse" I used a loop

for(i in 1:3)
{test <- replace(test,test==i,letts[i])}

which did what I wanted

test
[1] "A" "A" "A" "B" "B" "C"

In the first sentence I purposefully left out that the real objective was to make the big vector of integers a factor vector and assign the integer values (levels) some names (labels).

So another way of doing the replace( ) application here would be

(test <- factor(test,labels=letts))
[1] A A A B B C
Levels: A B C
user_73738700
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