Use data frame names when creating a list of/from data frames

Question

I have three data frames: df1, df2, df3.

I want to merge them into a list:

dataframes <- list(df1, df2, df3)

How can I use the names of each data frame for their corresponding list element names?

So that instead of this:

> names(dataframes)
[1] "" "" ""

I get this:

> names(dataframes)
[1] "df1" "df2" "df3"

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered May 02 '18 at 14:10

1

You need to name them when creating the list:

dataframes <- list(df1=df1, df2=df2, df3=df3)

names(dataframes)
#"df1" "df2" "df3"

answered May 02 '18 at 14:10

Shique

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18

Tim Biegeleisen · Answer 2 · 2018-05-02T14:05:57.917

Here is one option using a loop. I assume that df1, df2, and df3 are data frames, and have been defined somewhere.

i <- 1
lst <- list()   # an empty list

while (i <= 3) {
    df_name <- paste0("df", i)
    lst[[i]] <- get(df_name)
    names(lst)[i] <- df_name
    i <- i + 1
}

names(lst)

[1] "df1" "df2" "df3"

Demo

While many view using loops in R as being evil, the above case is not so bad, because we simply add new list items (and their names) one by one, as the loop progresses.

Use data frame names when creating a list of/from data frames

2 Answers2

Demo