model.matrix() with na.action=NULL?
I have a formula and a data frame, and I want to extract the model.matrix(). However, I need the resulting matrix to include the NAs that were found in the original dataset. If I were to use model.frame() to do this, I would simply pass it na.action=NULL. However, the output I need is of the model.matrix() format. Specifically, I need only the right-hand side variables, I need the output to be a matrix (not a data frame), and I need factors to be converted to a series of dummy variables.
I'm sure I could hack something together using loops or something, but I was wondering if anyone could suggest a cleaner and more efficient workaround. Thanks a lot for your time!
And here's an example:
dat <- data.frame(matrix(rnorm(20),5,4), gl(5,2))
dat[3,5] <- NA
names(dat) <- c(letters[1:4], 'fact')
ff <- a ~ b + fact
# This omits the row with a missing observation on the factor
model.matrix(ff, dat)
# This keeps the NA, but it gives me a data frame and does not dichotomize the factor
model.frame(ff, dat, na.action=NULL)
Here is what I would like to obtain:
(Intercept) b fact2 fact3 fact4 fact5
1 1 0.7266086 0 0 0 0
2 1 -0.6088697 0 0 0 0
3 NA 0.4643360 NA NA NA NA
4 1 -1.1666248 1 0 0 0
5 1 -0.7577394 0 1 0 0
6 1 0.7266086 0 1 0 0
7 1 -0.6088697 0 0 1 0
8 1 0.4643360 0 0 1 0
9 1 -1.1666248 0 0 0 1
10 1 -0.7577394 0 0 0 1
Answer
Joris's suggestion works, but a quicker and cleaner way to do this is via the global na.action setting. The 'Pass' option achieves our goal of preserving NA's from the original dataset.
Option 1: Pass
Resulting matrix will contain NA's in rows corresponding to the original dataset.
options(na.action='na.pass')
model.matrix(ff, dat)
Option 2: Omit
Resulting matrix will skip rows containing NA's.
options(na.action='na.omit')
model.matrix(ff, dat)
Option 3: Fail
An error will occur if the original data contains NA's.
options(na.action='na.fail')
model.matrix(ff, dat)
Of course, always be careful when changing global options because they can alter behavior of other parts of your code. A cautious person might store the original setting with something like current.na.action <- options('na.action'), and then change it back after making the model.matrix.