how do I reprex reproduce a data frame in R?

Question

I sometimes have to copy data from Excel into R. The workflow goes something like this:

# Step 1: Highlight Excel spreadsheet to be copied into R
# Step 2: Run this command to get the data into R
excelss <- read.delim("clipboard")  # for Windows

If I print(excelss) I get my data frame

  Excel.Col.1  Excel.Col.2
1           A           24
2           B            5
3           C           53

The question is: How do I take this data frame output, and permanently save it in my script? What reprex commands do I use? So that the next time I open the script the data frame will be right there, and I don't have to open Excel and go through the whole copy/paste routine again?

Or another way to put it. How do I take console data frame output and save it to my editor?

Answer 1

Use read.table(header = TRUE, sep = "\t", quote = "\"", dec = ".", fill = TRUE, comment.char = "", text="...") i.e. other parameters beside text= are set as in read.delim() Usually I use read.table(header=TRUE, text="..."), e.g. for your data:

excelss <- read.table(header=TRUE, text=
"      Excel.Col.1  Excel.Col.2
               A           24
               B            5
               C           53")

or

excelss <- read.table(header=TRUE, text=
"  Excel.Col.1  Excel.Col.2
1           A           24
2           B            5
3           C           53")
excelss

Answer 2

I like working with the library(datapasta). It adds an addin to RStudio which enables you to paste tabular data as a data.frame definition (also other outputs possible e.g. vector). After installing the package it is available via the Addins-dropdown menu in RStudio.