R: Copy an entire object

copy {data.table} | R Documentation

## Copy an entire object

### Description

In `data.table` parlance, all `set*` functions change their input by reference. That is, no copy is made at all, other than temporary working memory, which is as large as one column. The only other `data.table` operator that modifies input by reference is `:=`. Check out the `See Also` section below for other `set*` function `data.table` provides.

`copy()` copies an entire object.

### Usage

    copy(x)

### Arguments

`x` | A `data.table`.

### Details

`data.table` provides functions that operate on objects by reference and minimise full object copies as much as possible. Still, it might be necessary in some situations to work on an object's copy which can be done using `DT.copy <- copy(DT)`. It may also be sometimes useful before `:=` (or `set`) is used to subassign to a column by reference.

A `copy()` may be required when doing `dt_names = names(DT)`. Due to R's copy-on-modify, `dt_names` still points to the same location in memory as `names(DT)`. Therefore modifying `DT` by reference now, say by adding a new column, `dt_names` will also get updated. To avoid this, one has to explicitly copy: `dt_names <- copy(names(DT))`.

### Value

Returns a copy of the object.

### See Also

`data.table`, `setkey`, `setDT`, `setDF`, `set` `:=`, `setorder`, `setattr`, `setnames`

### Examples

    # Type 'example(copy)' to run these at prompt and browse output

    DT = data.table(A=5:1,B=letters[5:1])
    DT2 = copy(DT)        # explicit copy() needed to copy a data.table
    setkey(DT2,B)         # now just changes DT2
    identical(DT,DT2)     # FALSE. DT and DT2 are now different tables

    DT = data.table(A=5:1, B=letters[5:1])
    nm1 = names(DT)
    nm2 = copy(names(DT))
    DT[, C := 1L]
    identical(nm1, names(DT)) # TRUE, nm1 is also changed by reference
    identical(nm2, names(DT)) # FALSE, nm2 is a copy, different from names(DT)

[Package data.table version 1.11.8 Index]