Create Data Frame where a Column is a List in R (Example)
In this tutorial you’ll learn how to construct a new data frame with a list as column in the R programming language.
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Example: Creating Data Frame Containing Numeric Vector & List
The following R code shows how to construct a new data frame consisting of a numeric column and a list. First, we need to create a numeric vector:
my_var <- 1:3 # Create vector my_var # Print vector # 1 2 3
Then, we also need to create a list:
my_list <- list(1:5, letters[1:3], 5) # Create list my_list # Print list # [[1]] # [1] 1 2 3 4 5 # # [[2]] # [1] "a" "b" "c" # # [[3]] # [1] 5
Finally, we can store our numeric vector and our list in a data frame. Note that we have to wrap our list with the I() function to make sure that our list object is retained as it is:
data <- data.frame(my_var, I(my_list)) # Create data.frame data # Print data.frame # my_var my_list # 1 1 1, 2, 3,.... # 2 2 a, b, c # 3 3 5
The previous output may look a bit confusing. However, if you have a look at the variable, in which our list is stored, you can see that the data structure is the same as in the original list:
data$my_list # Print list column of data.frame # [[1]] # [1] 1 2 3 4 5 # # [[2]] # [1] "a" "b" "c" # # [[3]] # [1] 5
Video & Further Resources
I have recently published a video on my YouTube channel, which explains the contents of the present page. You can find the video below:
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Also, you could have a look at the related posts on my website. A selection of tutorials about data frames and lists is shown here:
- Create List of Data Frames
- Split Data Frame into List of Data Frames Based On ID Column
- Convert Data Frame Rows to List
- Convert List of Vectors to Data Frame
- The R Programming Language
At this point you should have learned how to use a list as data frame variable in R. Please let me know in the comments, in case you have further questions or comments.
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