Selecting multiple elements of the same name from a list in R

January 10, 2023

I have a long list (over ~180 items), and each item within the list has the same overall structure. I would like to select one element of that list from each item and make a new list out of it. How might I do this? See the following example:

Create a list out of 3 of the iris example dataset:

example <- list(iris, iris, iris)

A quick look at the structure:

str(example)

List of 3
 $ :'data.frame':   150 obs. of  5 variables:
  ..$ Sepal.Length: num [1:150] 5.1 4.9 4.7 4.6 5 5.4 4.6 5 4.4 4.9 ...
  ..$ Sepal.Width : num [1:150] 3.5 3 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.1 ...
  ..$ Petal.Length: num [1:150] 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 ...
  ..$ Petal.Width : num [1:150] 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 ...
  ..$ Species     : Factor w/ 3 levels "setosa","versicolor",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
 $ :'data.frame':   150 obs. of  5 variables:
  ..$ Sepal.Length: num [1:150] 5.1 4.9 4.7 4.6 5 5.4 4.6 5 4.4 4.9 ...
  ..$ Sepal.Width : num [1:150] 3.5 3 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.1 ...
  ..$ Petal.Length: num [1:150] 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 ...
  ..$ Petal.Width : num [1:150] 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 ...
  ..$ Species     : Factor w/ 3 levels "setosa","versicolor",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
 $ :'data.frame':   150 obs. of  5 variables:
  ..$ Sepal.Length: num [1:150] 5.1 4.9 4.7 4.6 5 5.4 4.6 5 4.4 4.9 ...
  ..$ Sepal.Width : num [1:150] 3.5 3 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.1 ...
  ..$ Petal.Length: num [1:150] 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 ...
  ..$ Petal.Width : num [1:150] 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 ...
  ..$ Species     : Factor w/ 3 levels "setosa","versicolor",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...

Say I wanted to pull Sepal.Width from each element of the list. How might I do this? I’m aware I could do something along the lines of example[c(1[Sepal.Width], 2[Sepal.Width], 3[Sepal.Width]), but with a long list something along these lines would be repetitive. Is it possible to perhaps use lapply() or a loop to pull these items out?

>Solution :

You can do

lapply(example, `[[`, 'Sepal.Width')

lapply(example, getElement, 'Sepal.Width')

Both of which return

#> [[1]]
#>   [1] 3.5 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.7 3.4 3.0 3.0 4.0 4.4
#>  [17] 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.4
#>  [33] 4.1 4.2 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.0 3.4 3.5 2.3 3.2 3.5 3.8 3.0 3.8 3.2
#>  [49] 3.7 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.3 2.8 2.8 3.3 2.4 2.9 2.7 2.0 3.0 2.2 2.9
#>  [65] 2.9 3.1 3.0 2.7 2.2 2.5 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.6
#>  [81] 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.0 3.4 3.1 2.3 3.0 2.5 2.6 3.0 2.6 2.3 2.7 3.0
#>  [97] 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.8 3.3 2.7 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.6 3.2 2.7
#> [113] 3.0 2.5 2.8 3.2 3.0 3.8 2.6 2.2 3.2 2.8 2.8 2.7 3.3 3.2 2.8 3.0
#> [129] 2.8 3.0 2.8 3.8 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.4 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.7 3.2
#> [145] 3.3 3.0 2.5 3.0 3.4 3.0
#> 
#> [[2]]
#>   [1] 3.5 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.7 3.4 3.0 3.0 4.0 4.4
#>  [17] 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.4
#>  [33] 4.1 4.2 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.0 3.4 3.5 2.3 3.2 3.5 3.8 3.0 3.8 3.2
#>  [49] 3.7 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.3 2.8 2.8 3.3 2.4 2.9 2.7 2.0 3.0 2.2 2.9
#>  [65] 2.9 3.1 3.0 2.7 2.2 2.5 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.6
#>  [81] 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.0 3.4 3.1 2.3 3.0 2.5 2.6 3.0 2.6 2.3 2.7 3.0
#>  [97] 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.8 3.3 2.7 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.6 3.2 2.7
#> [113] 3.0 2.5 2.8 3.2 3.0 3.8 2.6 2.2 3.2 2.8 2.8 2.7 3.3 3.2 2.8 3.0
#> [129] 2.8 3.0 2.8 3.8 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.4 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.7 3.2
#> [145] 3.3 3.0 2.5 3.0 3.4 3.0
#> 
#> [[3]]
#>   [1] 3.5 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.7 3.4 3.0 3.0 4.0 4.4
#>  [17] 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.4
#>  [33] 4.1 4.2 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.0 3.4 3.5 2.3 3.2 3.5 3.8 3.0 3.8 3.2
#>  [49] 3.7 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.3 2.8 2.8 3.3 2.4 2.9 2.7 2.0 3.0 2.2 2.9
#>  [65] 2.9 3.1 3.0 2.7 2.2 2.5 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.6
#>  [81] 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.0 3.4 3.1 2.3 3.0 2.5 2.6 3.0 2.6 2.3 2.7 3.0
#>  [97] 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.8 3.3 2.7 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.6 3.2 2.7
#> [113] 3.0 2.5 2.8 3.2 3.0 3.8 2.6 2.2 3.2 2.8 2.8 2.7 3.3 3.2 2.8 3.0
#> [129] 2.8 3.0 2.8 3.8 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.4 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.7 3.2
#> [145] 3.3 3.0 2.5 3.0 3.4 3.0