Import multiline SQL query to single string

Question

In R, how can I import the contents of a multiline text file (containing SQL) to a single string? The sql.txt file looks like this: ``` SELECT TOP 100 setpoint, tph FROM rates ``` I need to import that text file into an R string such that it looks like this: ``` > sqlString [1] "SELECT TOP 100 setpoint, tph FROM rates" ``` That's so that I can feed it to the RODBC like this ``` > library(RODBC) > myconn<-odbcConnect("RPM") > results<-sqlQuery(myconn,sqlString) ``` I've tried the readLines command as follows but it doesn't give the string format that RODBC needs. ``` > filecon<-file("sql.txt","r") > sqlString<-readLines(filecon, warn=FALSE) > sqlString [1] "SELECT TOP 100 " " [Reclaim Setpoint Mean (tph)] as setpoint, " [3] " [Reclaim Rate Mean (tph)] as tphmean " "FROM [Dampier_RC1P].[dbo].[Rates]" > ```

Accepted Answer

The versatile `paste()` command can do that with argument `collapse=""`:

```
lines <- readLines("/tmp/sql.txt")
lines
[1] "SELECT TOP 100 " " setpoint, "     " tph "           "FROM rates"

sqlcmd <- paste(lines, collapse="")
sqlcmd
[1] "SELECT TOP 100  setpoint,  tph FROM rates"
```

Import multiline SQL query to single string

Solution

Problem