Is there any difference between <- and =
I think most people find it odd at first if they have always used "=" but quickly you get use to it and nothing could be more clear. It is explicit. It is active and provides a direction, a value goes into an object. The equal sign for assignment is ambiguous. As an example x = 3 we only know that the value 3 is assigned to the object x because by convention a number cannot be an object, if not it could be read as the object "3" taking the value "x" The expression literally states that they are equal, yet you cannot assume that all instances of 3 are equal to x, so it is an inaccurate expression. On the other hand, 3 -> x or x <- 3 is very clear. It makes no changes to "3" only to "x" I've been reading "Data Manipulation with R" and find the author's use of "=" for assignment disturbing. You quickly get use to -> and will find after a short time that you prefer it.
Sean Zhang wrote:
Dear R-helpers: I have a question related to <- and =. I saw very experienced R programmers use = rather than <- quite consistently. However, I heard from others that do not use = but always stick to <- when assigning valuese. I personally like = because I was using Matabl, But, would like to receive expert opinion to avoid potential trouble. Many thanks in advance. -Sean [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
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