as_factor: Convert variable into factor and keep value labels

Description

This function converts a variable into a factor, but preserves variable and value label attributes.

Usage

as_factor(x, ..., add.non.labelled = FALSE)

Arguments

A vector or data frame.

...

Optional, unquoted names of variables that should be selected for further processing. Required, if x is a data frame (and no vector) and only selected variables from x should be processed. You may also use functions like : or tidyselect's select_helpers. See 'Examples'.

add.non.labelled

Logical, if TRUE, non-labelled values also get value labels.

Value

A factor, including variable and value labels. If x is a data frame, the complete data frame x will be returned, where variables specified in ... are coerced to factors (including variable and value labels); if ... is not specified, applies to all variables in the data frame.

Details

as_factor converts numeric values into a factor with numeric levels. as_label, however, converts a vector into a factor and uses value labels as factor levels.

Examples

Run this code

# NOT RUN {
library(sjmisc)
data(efc)
# normal factor conversion, loses value attributes
x <- as.factor(efc$e42dep)
frq(x)

# factor conversion, which keeps value attributes
x <- as_factor(efc$e42dep)
frq(x)

# create parially labelled vector
x <- set_labels(
  efc$e42dep,
  labels = c(
    `1` = "independent",
    `4` = "severe dependency",
    `9` = "missing value"
 ))

# only copy existing value labels
as_factor(x)
get_labels(as_factor(x), values = "p")

# also add labels to non-labelled values
as_factor(x, add.non.labelled = TRUE)
get_labels(as_factor(x, add.non.labelled = TRUE), values = "p")


# easily coerce specific variables in a data frame to factor
# and keep other variables, with their class preserved
as_factor(efc, e42dep, e16sex, c172code)

# use select-helpers from dplyr-package
library(dplyr)
as_factor(efc, contains("cop"), c161sex:c175empl)


# }

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