require(data.table) # Tests the suppression of := output # Since this tests autoprinting at the console, it needs to use the .Rout.save mechanism in R CMD check DT = data.table(a=1:2) # Should print at console? DT # yes DT[1] # yes DT[2,a:=3L] # no DT # yes DT[FALSE,a:=3L] # no DT[a==4L,a:=5L] # no DT[a %in% 4:8, a:=5L] # no DT # yes print(DT[2,a:=4L]) # no print(DT) # yes if (TRUE) DT[2,a:=5L] # no. used to print before v1.9.5 if (TRUE) if (TRUE) DT[2,a:=6L] # no. used to print before v1.9.5 (function(){DT[2,a:=5L];NULL})() # print NULL DT # no (from v1.9.5+). := suppresses next auto print (can't distinguish just "DT" symbol alone at the prompt) DT # yes. 2nd time needed, or solutions below (function(){DT[2,a:=5L];NULL})() # print NULL DT[] # yes. guaranteed print (function(){DT[2,a:=5L];NULL})() # print NULL print(DT) # no. only DT[] is guaranteed print from v1.9.6 and R 3.2.0 (function(){DT[2,a:=5L][];NULL})() # print NULL DT # yes. i) function needs to add [] after last one, so that "DT" alone is guaranteed anyway (function(){DT[2,a:=5L];DT[];NULL})() # print NULL DT # yes. ii) or as a separate DT[] after the last := inside the function DT2 = data.table(b=3:4) # no (function(){DT[2,a:=6L];DT2[1,b:=7L];NULL})() DT # yes. last := was on DT2 not DT {DT[2,a:=6L];invisible()} # no print(DT) # no (function(){print(DT[2,a:=7L]);print(DT);invisible()})() # yes*2 {print(DT[2,a:=8L]);print(DT);invisible()} # yes*1 Not within function so as at prompt DT[1][,a:=9L] # no (was too tricky to detect that DT[1] is a new object). Simple rule is that := always doesn't print DT[2,a:=10L][1] # yes DT[1,a:=10L][1,a:=10L] # no DT[,a:=as.integer(a)] # no DT[1,a:=as.integer(a)] # no DT[1,a:=10L][] # yes. ...[] == oops, forgot print(...) # Test that error in := doesn't suppress next valid print, bug #2376 tryCatch(DT[,foo:=ColumnNameTypo], error=function(e) e$message) # error: not found. DT # yes DT # yes