transfer_labs {labelr}

Transfer Labels from One Variable (Column) Name to Another

Description

Note: transfer_labs searches a data.frame's name.labs and val.labs attributes and transfers the labels associated with one variable name to another, so that the first variable no longer has name or value labels associated with it, and so that whatever name or value labels previously were associated with it are now associated with the second variable.

Usage

transfer_labs(data, from, to)

Arguments

data

a data.frame.

from

the unquoted variable name from which labels will be transferred. Note, even if the variable itself has been dropped from the data.frame (to include being renamed), its label attribute meta-data may still be present and available for use by this function (use get_all_lab_atts() to see).

to

the unquoted name of the variable to which the labels will be transferred.

Details

Certain non-labelr data management functions will preserve the labelr labels that are attached to the passed data.frame, but they will not update those labels to reflect any changes the function makes to the variable(s). For example, if one were to use dplyr::rename to change the name of a value-labeled variable from old name "x1" to new name "satisfaction", the labelr attributes associated with "x1" would not be transferred to label "satisfaction." transfer_labs allows one to transfer those labels, dis- associating them with the old name (here, "x1") and associating them with new name (here, "satisfaction").

Value

A data.frame.

Examples

# make toy demographic (gender, raceth, etc.) data set
set.seed(555)
df <- make_demo_data(n = 1000) # another labelr:: function

# let's add variable VALUE labels for variable "raceth"
df <- add_val_labs(df,
  vars = "raceth", vals = c(1:7),
  labs = c("White", "Black", "Hispanic", "Asian", "AIAN", "Multi", "Other"),
  max.unique.vals = 50
)

df <- add_val1(
  data = df, gender, vals = c(0, 1, 2, 3, 4),
  labs = c("M", "F", "TR", "NB", "Diff-Term"), max.unique.vals = 50
)

# let's add variable NAME labels
df <- add_name_labs(df, name.labs = c(
  "age" = "Age in years",
  "raceth" = "racial-ethnic group category",
  "gender" = "gender identity"
))
head(df, 4)
get_name_labs(df)
get_val_labs(df)

df <- dplyr::rename(df, race = raceth) # new name is on left of = sign
df <- dplyr::rename(df, gend = gender) # new name is on left of = sign

head(df, 4)
get_name_labs(df)
get_val_labs(df)

df <- transfer_labs(df, from = raceth, to = race) # labs info transferred from raceth
df <- transfer_labs(df, from = gender, to = gend) # labs info transferred to gend
df <- transfer_labs(df, from = gend, to = nothere) # var nothere does not exist!

head(df, 4)
get_name_labs(df)
get_val_labs(df)