Drop data frame columns by name?

Question

I have a number of columns that I would like to remove from a data frame. I know that we can delete them individually using something like: df$x <- NULLBut I was hoping to do this with fewer commands.Also, I know that I could drop columns using integer indexing like this: df <- df[ -c(1, 3:6, 12) ]But I am concerned that the relative position of my variables may change.Given how powerful R is, I figured there might be a better way than dropping each column one by one.

Answer 1

Dropping all the columns at once (such as df <- df[, -c(1, 3:6, 12)]) will not change the relative position of the variables until the operation is performed. However, if you drop the columns one by one, it will then change the positions, unless you are dropping them by name.