The read.table() function

To read an entire data frame directly, the external file must have a special form.

• The first line of the file should have have a name for each variable in the data frame.

• Each additional line of the file has its first item a row label and the values for each variable.

 
Figure 2:   Input file form with names and row labels

By default numeric items (except row labels) are read as numeric variables and non-numeric variables, such as Cent.heat in the example, as factors. This can be changed if necessary.

The function read.table() can then be used to read the data frame directly

HousePrice <- read.table("houses.data")

Often you will want to omit including the row labels directly and use the default labels. In this case the file may omit the row label column as in Figure 3

 
Figure 3:   Input file form without row labels

The data frame may then be read as

HousePrice <- read.table("houses.data", header=T)

where the heading=T option specifies that the first line is a line of headings, and hence, by implication from the form of the file, that no explicit row labels are given.