Question

I have a data frame with several variables. What I want is create a string using (concatenation) the variable names but with something else in between them…

Here is a simplified example (number of variables reduced to only 3 whereas I have actually many)

Making up some data frame

 df1 <- data.frame(1,2,3) # A one row data frame
  names(df1) <- c('Location1','Location2','Location3') 

Actual code…

  len1 <- ncol(df1)
  string1 <- 'The locations that we are considering are'  
    for(i in 1:(len1-1))   string1 <- c(string1,paste(names(df1[i]),sep=','))

  string1 <- c(string1,'and',paste(names(df1[len1]),'.'))
  string1

This gives…

[1] "The locations that we are considering are"
[2] "Location1"                          
[3] "Location2"                          
[4] "Location3 ."

But I want

The locations that we are considering are Location1, Location2 and Location3.

I am sure there is a much simpler method which some of you would know…
Thank you for you time…

Answer 1

Are you looking for the collapse argument of paste?

> paste (letters [1:3], collapse = " and ")
[1] "a and b and c"