Merging data - Error in fix.by(by.x, x)

Question

I am trying to merge data in R as suggested in an answer to my other post here. Yet, I have an error.

First let me explain what I try to do. I have

Answer 1

Google returns this as the first listing for the R error, Error in fix.by(by.x, x) and I found it interesting no answer attempted a loop solution of the OP's very long command listing.

For future readers needing to merge many dataframes, consider binding individual dataframes into a list with lapply(), run any needed calculations, and then run a Reduce(..., merge) to merge all files of list into one wide dataframe. Below processes and merges all 100 files of original posting:

library(zoo)

dfList <- lapply(c(1:100), function(i) {
   df <- read.table(paste0("rundata  ", i), sep= " ", col.names=c("tm","score","current"))  
   df <- df[!is.na(df$tm),]
   df$score <- zoo::na.locf(df$score)
   colnames(df) <- paste0(colnames(df), i)
   return(df)
})

newdata <- Reduce(function(...) merge(..., by=1, all=T), dfList)

write.table(newdata, "outputR")

Answer 2

The merge argument only takes two values as input, so you have to do them separately:

newdata<- merge(data1[,1:2],data2[,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE)
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:3   ],data3 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:4   ],data4 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:5   ],data5 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:6   ],data6 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:7   ],data7 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:8   ],data8 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:9   ],data9 [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:10  ],data10    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:11  ],data11    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:12  ],data12    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:13  ],data13    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:14  ],data14    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:15  ],data15    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:16  ],data16    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:17  ],data17    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:18  ],data18    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:19  ],data19    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:20  ],data20    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:21  ],data21    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:22  ],data22    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:23  ],data23    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:24  ],data24    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:25  ],data25    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:26  ],data26    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:27  ],data27    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:28  ],data28    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:29  ],data29    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:30  ],data30    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:31  ],data31    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:32  ],data32    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:33  ],data33    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:34  ],data34    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:35  ],data35    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:36  ],data36    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:37  ],data37    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:38  ],data38    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:39  ],data39    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:40  ],data40    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:41  ],data41    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:42  ],data42    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:43  ],data43    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:44  ],data44    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:45  ],data45    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:46  ],data46    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:47  ],data47    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:48  ],data48    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:49  ],data49    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:50  ],data50    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:51  ],data51    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:52  ],data52    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:53  ],data53    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:54  ],data54    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:55  ],data55    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:56  ],data56    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:57  ],data57    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:58  ],data58    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:59  ],data59    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:60  ],data60    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:61  ],data61    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:62  ],data62    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:63  ],data63    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:64  ],data64    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:65  ],data65    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:66  ],data66    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:67  ],data67    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:68  ],data68    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:69  ],data69    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:70  ],data70    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:71  ],data71    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:72  ],data72    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:73  ],data73    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:74  ],data74    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:75  ],data75    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:76  ],data76    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:77  ],data77    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:78  ],data78    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:79  ],data79    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:80  ],data80    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:81  ],data81    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:82  ],data82    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:83  ],data83    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:84  ],data84    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:85  ],data85    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:86  ],data86    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:87  ],data87    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:88  ],data88    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:89  ],data89    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:90  ],data90    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:91  ],data91    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:92  ],data92    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:93  ],data93    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:94  ],data94    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:95  ],data95    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:96  ],data96    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:97  ],data97    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:98  ],data98    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:99  ],data99    [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )
newdata<- merge(newdata [,1:100 ],data100   [,1:2],by=1,all=TRUE        )