Check that top Google results haven’t change and adjust as needed Current top hits 1, 2, and 5:

1. https://dplyr.tidyverse.org/reference/select.html
2. https://blog.exploratory.io/selecting-columns-809bdd1ef615
3. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21502465/replacement-for-rename-in-dplyr

• Professional programmers use Google regularly
• Learning how to search, read, and apply online help is a key skill
• Requires
  • Vocabulary
    • Look for cheatsheets
  • Careful reading
  • Understanding
  • Testing

Example

• How to change the name of columns in dplyr
• Search: dplyr change name column
  • Name of package (if not in a distinctly name package include r or rstats)
  • The thing you want to do using technical terms
  • Keep it simple
  • Sometimes first searches show you how to ask the question
• Switch to dplyr rename column
• Check the date
  • Older results might be out of date
  • Can restrict to newer posts in search (but often more advanced)

First hit

https://dplyr.tidyverse.org/reference/select.html

• Documentation
• Start reading from top
• Not super clear
• Focus on examples
• Ctrl-F
• petal_length is in output, so it is the new name and Petal.Length is the old value

Second hit

https://blog.exploratory.io/selecting-columns-809bdd1ef615

• Blog post
• Kind of long
• Ctrl-F
• rename() function, but what’s the order
• Look at the setup: github_issues
• Scroll up and look at column names
• assignee.login is in the orginal setup, so that is the variable we are changing, developer is new name

Fifth hit

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21502465/replacement-for-rename-in-dplyr

• Question & Answer site
• Want rename so this seems good.
• Read question
• Check date - possible out of date
• Very clear statement of solution
• Check comments - it’s so clear because someone helped
• Look at next answer - we could do this with select as well

Testing and modifying answers

• Test the example
• Modify the example
• But be careful
  • Malicious code examples exist
  • Do you trust the site
  • Does it have a lot of upvotes
  • Top of searches with lots of hits

Tips (not taught, but should be highlighted in example)

Search

• Get the vocabularly right
• Avoid extra words
• Specify the language

Results

Help sites

• Read the question
• Look at the setup
• Check the age
• Check the top 2-3 answers
• Glance at the comments
• Test & modify the example
  • But don’t blindly paste things you don’t understand
  • Reputation can help - e.g., StackOverflow w/lots of positive votes

Blog posts

• Read the question
• Look at the setup
• Use Find

Documentation

• Use Find
• Focus on the examples