names                  package:base                  R Documentation

The Names Attribute of an Object

Description:

     Functions to get or set the names of an object.

Usage:

     names(x)
     names(x) <- value

Arguments:

       x: an R object.

   value: a character vector of the same length as `x', or `NULL'.

Details:

     `names' is a generic accessor function, and `names<-' is a generic
     replacement function.  The default methods get and set the
     `"names"' attribute of a vector or list.

     It is possible to update just part of the names attribute via the
     general rules: see the examples.  This works because the
     expression there is evaluated as `z <- "names<-"(z,
     "[<-"(names(z), 3, "c2"))'.

Value:

     For `names', `NULL' or a character vector of the same length as
     `x'.

     For `names<-', the updated object.  (Note that the value of
     `names(x) <- value' is that of the assignment, `value', not the
     return value from the left-hand side.)

Examples:

     # print the names attribute of the islands data set
     names(islands)

     # remove the names attribute
     names(islands) <- NULL

     z <- list(a=1, b="c", c=1:3)
     names(z)
     # change just the name of the third element.
     names(z)[3] <- "c2"
     z

