R: rio Extensions

.import {rio} | R Documentation

## rio Extensions

### Description

Writing Import/Export Extensions for rio

### Usage

    .import(file, ...)

    ## Default S3 method:
    .import(file, ...)

    .export(file, x, ...)

    ## Default S3 method:
    .export(file, x, ...)

### Arguments

`file` | A character string naming a file.
`...` | Additional arguments passed to methods.
`x` | A data frame or matrix to be written into a file.

### Details

rio implements format-specific S3 methods for each type of file that can be imported from or exported to. This happens via internal S3 generics, `.import` and `.export`. It is possible to write new methods like with any S3 generic (e.g., `print`).

As an example, `.import.rio_csv` imports from a comma-separated values file. If you want to produce a method for a new filetype with extension “myfile”, you simply have to create a function called `.import.rio_myfile` that implements a format-specific importing routine and returns a data.frame. rio will automatically recognize new S3 methods, so that you can then import your file using: `import("file.myfile")`.

As general guidance, if an import method creates many attributes, these attributes should be stored — to the extent possible — in variable-level attributes fields. These can be “gathered” to the data.frame level by the user via `gather_attrs`.

### Value

For `.import`, an R data.frame. For `.export`, `file`, invisibly.

### See Also

`import`, `export`

[Package rio version 0.5.10 Index]