name {base} | R Documentation

## Variable Names or Symbols, respectively

### Description

`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.

### Usage

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

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

### Arguments

`x, y` | objects to be coerced or tested.

### Details

`is.symbol` is generic: you can write methods to handle specific classes of objects, see InternalMethods.

### Note

The term “symbol” is from the LISP background of R, whereas “name” has been the standard S term for this.

### References

Becker, R. A., Chambers, J. M. and Wilks, A. R. (1988) The New S Language. Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.

### See Also

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

### Examples

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

[Package base version 2.3.1 Index]