Slice
A slice is an operation or function that selects and returns a portion of an ordered data structure by positions, indices, or ranges.
The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition
Array#slice is a Ruby Array method that retrieves elements specified by an index, an index and length, or a range.
- How it is used
- Retrieves array elements as a named alternative to `Array#[]` during collection manipulation.
- How deep it goes
- Explains single-index, index-and-length, and range retrieval, but does not establish out-of-range behavior.
- Examples
- Uses a color array to show two-element and range retrieval alongside `[]` assignment.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via Ruby’s `Array#slice` to retrieve one element or a contiguous group without removing it.
Read how The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition explains slice →
Statistics Slam Dunk
The dplyr slice() function selects rows from a tabular object by their positions, including positions computed within groups.
- How it is used
- Selects rows by position within grouped or ungrouped tabular data.
- How deep it goes
- Demonstrates grouped deletion, maximum-row selection, and row preservation, but does not detail broader positional-selection variants.
- Examples
- Uses Julius Randle free throws and year-by-year NBA scoring leaders as worked row-selection examples.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via dplyr to remove grouped rows or retain complete records meeting grouped positional criteria.
Related concepts
- arrayproduces · An array is an indexed, ordered collection of elements arranged in one or more dimensions, with elements accessed by position.
- shallow copyproduces · A shallow copy duplicates a data structure’s outer container while retaining references to its nested values rather than copying them recursively.
- []equivalent to · [] is a Ruby String method that retrieves characters or substrings using indexes, ranges, strings, or regular expressions.
- group_by()used by · group_by() assigns grouping variables to tabular data so subsequent operations can be performed separately within each group.
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