The slice() function in R is a powerful function that helps us to subset rows. Please follow our instructions below if you are new to this because we will show you more details about its syntax, application, and how to use it in your R program.
Slice() function in R
What does the slice() function do in R?
The idea of the slice() function is to subset a row. Or, to be more understandable, it will give only the data of the row that we need. By doing this, data is much more manageable and easy to keep track if you work with large data sets. Let’s take a look at this small example:
This dataset demonstrates the sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee in 1999 and 2004:
dataFrame <- data.frame( "Coffee" = c("UK", "Switzerland", "Denmark", "Belgium", "Sweden"), "1999 (millions of euros)" = c(1.5, 3, 1.8, 1, 0.8), "2004 (millions of euros)" = c(20, 6, 2, 1.7, 1), check.names = FALSE ) dataFrame
Coffee 1999 (millions of euros) 2004 (millions of euros)
1 UK 1.5 20.0
2 Switzerland 3.0 6.0
3 Denmark 1.8 2.0
4 Belgium 1.0 1.7
5 Sweden 0.8 1.0
For example, we want to get only the data of Belgium, so we will use the slice() function with row 4.
dataFrame %>% slice(4)
Output:
Coffee 1999 (millions of euros) 2004 (millions of euros)
1 Belgium 1 1.7
Syntax:
slice(row)
Parameter:
- row: the row that you want to subset.
How to use slice() in R?
Install the ‘dplyr’ package
The slice() function is part of the ‘dplyr‘ package, so first, we have to install the package before using the function.
Simply type in the console:
install.packages("dplyr")
Next, load the package by typing in:
library("dplyr")
Now everything is set and ready to go.
Subset a single row
Example 2:
Let’s say we have this data Frame about the underground system in different cities:
dataFrame <- data.frame( "City" = c("London", "Paris", "Tokyo", "Washington DC", "Kyoto", "Los Angeles"), "Date opened" = c(1863, 1900, 1927, 1976, 1981, 2001), "Kilometers of route" = c(394, 199, 155, 126, 11, 28), "PAssengers per year (in millions)" = c(775, 1191, 1927, 144, 45, 50), check.names = FALSE ) dataFrame
City Date opened Kilometers of route PAssengers per year (in millions)
1 London 1863 394 775
2 Paris 1900 199 1191
3 Tokyo 1927 155 1927
4 Washington DC 1976 126 144
5 Kyoto 1981 11 45
6 Los Angeles 2001 28 50
If you want to get only the data of 1 city (for example, Paris), use:
dataFrame %>% slice(2)
Output:
City Date opened Kilometers of route PAssengers per year (in millions)
1 Paris 1900 199 1191
Subset various rows
If you want to get the data of multiple cities, use:
dataFrame %>% slice(2, 4, 6)
Output:
City Date opened Kilometers of route Passengers per year (in millions)
1 Paris 1900 199 1191
2 Washington DC 1976 126 144
3 Los Angeles 2001 28 50
Subset a range of rows
If you want to subset a range of rows, do as follows:
dataFrame %>% slice(2:5)
Output:
City Date opened Kilometers of route PAssengers per year (in millions)
1 Paris 1900 199 1191
2 Tokyo 1927 155 1927
3 Washington DC 1976 126 144
4 Kyoto 1981 11 45
Summary
In this tutorial, we have shown you about the slice() function in R and how to apply it in your program. The slice() function is part of the ‘dplyr‘ package, and it helps us to subset rows.
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