Message-ID: <CACk-te0LomDv46LG7zK++B=LSg5WcNqiJ5JrGiNM8GKiw5x_6g@mail.gmail.com>
Date: 2012-02-18T00:23:56Z
From: Bert Gunter
Subject: R's list data structure
In-Reply-To: <1329511065.35059.YahooMailNeo@web132103.mail.ird.yahoo.com>
FWIW:
Lists are a fundamental, universal, recursive data structure. All
other data structures (i.e. r.e. sets) can be represented as lists.
Indeed, one of the earliest "high level" (non-machine instructions)
computer languages, McCarthy's LISP = List Processing, is based on
lists. R was designed to be LISP-like (= a functional programming
language) in some fundamentals ways. So it is no surprise that lists
are widely used within R.
Cheers,
Bert
On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 12:37 PM, Ajay Askoolum <aa2e72e at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> Hi Sarah,
>
> ??????????? Thanks you for the clarifications; I had worked round the problem by switching to a data.frame.
>
> ??????????? However, I am still unclear about 'list': as it exists, it must have a purpose. When is the use of the list data structure appropriate?
>
> ? ? ? ?[[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.
>
--
Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
Internal Contact Info:
Phone: 467-7374
Website:
http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm