If you check, the help files, you will find rename in reshape and plyr, but not reshape2. But you have never shown us the command you used with names() and what didn't work:
> a <- data.frame(alk_quant=rnorm(5, 5), ph_quant= rnorm(5, 5), + tds_quant=rnorm(5, 5)) > a alk_quant ph_quant tds_quant 1 6.569293 5.494560 5.521039 2 4.854873 5.612902 5.235817 3 4.636218 5.116499 5.973769 4 5.430009 6.273394 3.511017 5 5.714755 6.876349 4.035907 > names(a) <- gsub("_quant", "", names(a)) > a alk ph tds 1 6.569293 5.494560 5.521039 2 4.854873 5.612902 5.235817 3 4.636218 5.116499 5.973769 4 5.430009 6.273394 3.511017 5 5.714755 6.876349 4.035907 ---------------------------------------------- David L Carlson Associate Professor of Anthropology Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4352 > -----Original Message----- > From: r-help-boun...@r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces@r- > project.org] On Behalf Of Rich Shepard > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 3:25 PM > To: R help > Subject: Re: [R] Changing data frame column headings > > On Wed, 5 Dec 2012, arun wrote: > > > I am not sure why ?rename() is not working. > > a <- list(a = 1, b = 2, c = 3) > > rename(a, c(b = "a", c = "b", a="c")) > > I have the reshape2 library loaded and ?rename did not find the help > page. > Are the parentheses required in the command? > > Thanks, > > Rich > > ______________________________________________ > R-help@r-project.org mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting- > guide.html > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.