Intro to R for Bio and Enviro Sciences

Googling for Help

Notes

Check that top Google results haven’t change and adjust as needed Current top hits 1, 2, and 5:

  1. https://dplyr.tidyverse.org/reference/select.html
  2. https://blog.exploratory.io/selecting-columns-809bdd1ef615
  3. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21502465/replacement-for-rename-in-dplyr
  • Professional programmers use Google regularly
  • Learning how to search, read, and apply online help is a key skill
  • Requires
    • Vocabulary
      • Look for cheatsheets
    • Careful reading
    • Understanding
    • Testing

Example

  • How to change the name of columns in dplyr
  • Search: dplyr change name column
    • Name of package (if not in a distinctly name package include r or rstats)
    • The thing you want to do using technical terms
    • Keep it simple
    • Sometimes first searches show you how to ask the question
  • Switch to dplyr rename column
  • Check the date
    • Older results might be out of date
    • Can restrict to newer posts in search (but often more advanced)

First hit

https://dplyr.tidyverse.org/reference/select.html

  • Documentation
  • Start reading from top
  • Not super clear
  • Focus on examples
  • Ctrl-F
  • petal_length is in output, so it is the new name and Petal.Length is the old value

Second hit

https://blog.exploratory.io/selecting-columns-809bdd1ef615

  • Blog post
  • Kind of long
  • Ctrl-F
  • rename() function, but what’s the order
  • Look at the setup: github_issues
  • Scroll up and look at column names
  • assignee.login is in the orginal setup, so that is the variable we are changing, developer is new name

Fifth hit

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21502465/replacement-for-rename-in-dplyr

  • Question & Answer site
  • Want rename so this seems good.
  • Read question
  • Check date - possible out of date
  • Very clear statement of solution
  • Check comments - it’s so clear because someone helped
  • Look at next answer - we could do this with select as well

Testing and modifying answers

  • Test the example
  • Modify the example
  • But be careful
    • Malicious code examples exist
    • Do you trust the site
    • Does it have a lot of upvotes
    • Top of searches with lots of hits

Tips (not taught, but should be highlighted in example)

  • Get the vocabularly right
  • Avoid extra words
  • Specify the language

Results

Help sites
  • Read the question
  • Look at the setup
  • Check the age
  • Check the top 2-3 answers
  • Glance at the comments
  • Test & modify the example
    • But don’t blindly paste things you don’t understand
    • Reputation can help - e.g., StackOverflow w/lots of positive votes
Blog posts
  • Read the question
  • Look at the setup
  • Use Find
Documentation
  • Use Find
  • Focus on the examples