alist() Function in R (2 Examples)

In this article, I’ll illustrate how to create an alist object using the alist() function in the R programming language.

The content of the page looks as follows:

Let’s jump right to the examples!

Example 1: Construct List of Function Arguments Using alist()

The following R programming code explains how to create a list of function arguments using the alist function in R.

Consider the R syntax below:

my_alist <- alist(x = , y = 5, x^2 + y)    # Create alist object
my_alist                                   # Print alist object
# $x
# 
# 
# $y
# [1] 5
# 
# [[3]]
# x^2 + y

As you can see based on the previous output, we have created a list containing three elements. The first list element contains the x argument, the second list element contains the y argument and its default value (i.e. 5), and the third list element contains the function body.

Example 2: Convert alist() Output to User-Defined Function

In this example, I’ll illustrate how to convert a list created by the alist command to a user-defined function.

For this task, we can apply the as.function function as shown below:

my_fun <- as.function(my_alist)            # Convert alist object to function
my_fun                                     # Print user-defined function
# function (x, y = 5) 
# x^2 + y
# <environment: 0x55832aa301c8>

The previous output shows the structure of our new function called my_fun.

Let’s apply this function to a certain x-value (i.e. 2):

my_fun(x = 2)                              # Apply user-defined function
# [1] 9

The result of our user-defined function is 9.

Video, Further Resources & Summary

Have a look at the following video on my YouTube channel. In the video, I’m explaining the content of this tutorial:

The YouTube video will be added soon.

Furthermore, you could have a look at some of the related articles on this homepage. I have released several articles already:

• as.function Function in R
• List of R Commands
• R Programming Tutorials

To summarize: At this point you should know how to use the alist() function in the R programming language. If you have further questions, let me know in the comments section. Furthermore, don’t forget to subscribe to my email newsletter to get updates on the newest articles.