R Nested Functions

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Nested Functions

There are two ways to create a nested function:

Call a function within another function.
Write a function within a function.

Example

Call a function within another function:

Nested_function <- function(x, y) {
a <- x + y
return(a)
}

Nested_function(Nested_function(2,2), Nested_function(3,3))

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Example Explained

The function tells x to add y.

The first input Nested_function(2,2) is "x" of the main function.

The second input Nested_function(3,3) is "y" of the main function.

The output is therefore (2+2) + (3+3) = 10.

Example

Write a function within a function:

Outer_func <- function(x) {
Inner_func <- function(y) {
a <- x + y
return(a)
}
return (Inner_func)
}
output <- Outer_func(3) # To call the Outer_func
output(5)

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Example Explained

You cannot directly call the function because the Inner_func has been defined (nested) inside the Outer_func.

We need to call Outer_func first in order to call Inner_func as a second step.

We need to create a new variable called output and give it a value, which is 3 here.

We then print the output with the desired value of "y", which in this case is 5.

The output is therefore 8 (3 + 5).

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