name                  package:base                  R Documentation

_V_a_r_i_a_b_l_e _N_a_m_e_s _o_r _S_y_m_b_o_l_s, _r_e_s_p_e_c_t_i_v_e_l_y

_D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n:

     `as.symbol' coerces its argument to be a symbol, or equivalently,
     a name.  The argument must be of mode `"character"'.  `as.name' is
     an alias for `as.symbol'.

     `is.symbol' (and `is.name' equivalently) returns `TRUE' or `FALSE'
     depending on whether its argument is a symbol (i.e. name) or not.

_U_s_a_g_e:

     as.symbol(x)
     is.symbol(y)

     as.name(x)
     is.name(y)

_A_r_g_u_m_e_n_t_s:

    x, y: objects to be coerced or tested.

_N_o_t_e:

     The term ``symbol'' is from the lisp background of R, whereas
     ``name'' has been the standard S term for this.

_S_e_e _A_l_s_o:

     `call', `is.language'. For the internal object mode, `typeof'.

_E_x_a_m_p_l_e_s:

     an <- as.name("arrg")
     is.name(an) # TRUE
     str(an)# symbol

