R: A single block-diagonal network created by combining multiple...

combine_networks {tergm}

R Documentation

A single block-diagonal network created by combining multiple networks

Description

Given a list of compatible networks, the combine_networks() returns a single block-diagonal network, preserving attributes that can be preserved.

Usage

combine_networks(
  nwl,
  ignore.nattr = c("mnext"),
  ignore.vattr = c(),
  ignore.eattr = c(),
  blockID.vattr = ".NetworkID",
  blockName.vattr = NULL,
  detect.edgecov = FALSE,
  keep.unshared.attr = FALSE,
  subnet.cache = FALSE
)

## S3 method for class 'combined_networks'
print(x, ...)

## S3 method for class 'combined_networks'
summary(object, ...)

## S3 method for class 'summary.combined_networks'
print(x, ...)

Arguments

`nwl`	a list of `network::network`s to be combined; they must have similar fundamental properties: directedness and bipartedness, though their sizes (and the size of each bipartite group) can vary.
`ignore.nattr, ignore.vattr, ignore.eattr`	network, vertex, and edge attributes not to be processed as described below.
`blockID.vattr`	name of the vertex attribute into which to store the index of the network to which that vertex originally belonged.
`blockName.vattr`	if not `NULL`, the name of the vertex attribute into which to store the name of the network to which that vertex originally belonged.
`detect.edgecov`	if `TRUE`, combine network attributes that look like dyadic covariate (`ergm::edgecov`) matrices into a block-diagonal matrix.
`keep.unshared.attr`	whether to keep those network, vertex, and edge attributes not shared by all networks in the list; if `TRUE`, positions corresponding to networks lacking the attribute are replaced with `NA`, `NULL`, or some other placeholder; incompatible with `detect.edgecov==TRUE`.
`subnet.cache`	whether to save the input network list as an attribute of the combined network, so that if the network is resplit using on the same attribute (e.g. using `uncombine_network()`), an expensive call to `split.network()` can be avoided, at the cost of storage.
`x, object`	a combined network.
`...`	additional arguments to methods.

Value

an object of class combined_networks inheriting from network::network with a block-diagonal structure (or its bipartite equivalent) comprising the networks passed in nwl. In particular,

the returned network's size is the sum of the input networks';
its basic properties (directedness and bipartednes) are the same;
the input networks' sociomatrices (both edge presence and edge attributes) are the blocks in the sociomatrix of the returned network;
vertex attributes are concatenated;
edge attributes are assigned to their respective edges in the returned network;
network attributes are stored in a list; but if detect.edgecov==TRUE, those network attributes that have the same dimension as the sociomatrices of the constituent networks, they are combined into a single block-diagonal matrix that is then stored as that attribute.

In addition, a two new vertex attibutes, specified by blockID.vattr and (optionally) blockName.vattr contain, respectively, the index in nwl of the network from which that vertex came and its name, determined as follows:

If nwl is a named list, names from the list are used.
If not 1, but the network has an attribute title, it is used.
Otherwise, a numerical index is used.

If blockID.vattr already exists on the constituent networks, the index is prepended to the attribute.

Methods (by generic)

print: A wrapper around network::print.network() to print constituent network information and omit some internal variables.
summary: A wrapper around network::summary.network() to print constituent network information and omit some internal variables.
print: A wrapper around network::print.summary.network() to print constituent network information and omit some internal variables.

Examples


data(samplk)

o1 <- combine_networks(list(samplk1, samplk2, samplk3))
image(as.matrix(o1))
head(get.vertex.attribute(o1, ".NetworkID"))
o2 <- combine_networks(list(o1, o1))
image(as.matrix(o2))
head(get.vertex.attribute(o2, ".NetworkID", unlist=FALSE))

data(florentine)
f1 <- combine_networks(list(business=flobusiness, marriage=flomarriage),
                       blockName.vattr=".NetworkName")
image(as.matrix(f1))
head(get.vertex.attribute(f1, ".NetworkID"))
head(get.vertex.attribute(f1, ".NetworkName"))

[Package tergm version 4.0.2 Index]