User’s Guide to For2R: A Module of Fortran 95 Output Routines Compatible with the R Statistics Language

For2R is a collection of Fortran routines for saving complex data structures into a file that can be read in the R statistics environment with a single command.1 For2R provides both the means to transfer data structures significantly more complex than simple tables, and anarchive mechanism to store data for future reference.We developed this software because we write and run computationally intensive numerical models in Fortran, C++, and AD Model Builder. We then analyse results with R. We desired to automate data transfer to speed diagnostics during working-group meetings.We thus developed the For2R interface to write an R data object (of type list) to a plain-text file. The master list can contain any number of matrices, values, dataframes, vectors or lists,all of which can be read into R with a single call to the dget function. This allows easy transfer of structured data from compiled models to R.Having the capacity to transfer model data, metadata, and results has sharply reduced the time spent on diagnostics, and at the same time, our diagnostic capabilities have improved tremendously. The simplicity of this interface and the capabilities of R have enabled us to automate graph and table creation for formal reports. Finally, the persistent storage in files makes it easier to treat model results in analyses or meta-analyses devised months—or evenyears—later.We offer For2R to others in the hope that they will find it useful. (PDF contains 31 pages)

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Prager, Michael H., Martin, Jennifer L., Stephens, Andi
Format: monograph biblioteca
Language:English
Published: NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service/Southeast Fisheries Science Center 2006
Subjects:Management, Education,
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1834/19930
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Summary:For2R is a collection of Fortran routines for saving complex data structures into a file that can be read in the R statistics environment with a single command.1 For2R provides both the means to transfer data structures significantly more complex than simple tables, and anarchive mechanism to store data for future reference.We developed this software because we write and run computationally intensive numerical models in Fortran, C++, and AD Model Builder. We then analyse results with R. We desired to automate data transfer to speed diagnostics during working-group meetings.We thus developed the For2R interface to write an R data object (of type list) to a plain-text file. The master list can contain any number of matrices, values, dataframes, vectors or lists,all of which can be read into R with a single call to the dget function. This allows easy transfer of structured data from compiled models to R.Having the capacity to transfer model data, metadata, and results has sharply reduced the time spent on diagnostics, and at the same time, our diagnostic capabilities have improved tremendously. The simplicity of this interface and the capabilities of R have enabled us to automate graph and table creation for formal reports. Finally, the persistent storage in files makes it easier to treat model results in analyses or meta-analyses devised months—or evenyears—later.We offer For2R to others in the hope that they will find it useful. (PDF contains 31 pages)