magittr pipe does not correctly pass a connection

I'm pulling in a .rda file and loading the data. It works fine like this:

library(magrittr)
conn <- "http://www.mosaic-web.org/go/datasets/DCF/MeasTreatTables.rda" 
  %>% url()
load(conn)

But when I use the pipe throughout:

"http://www.mosaic-web.org/go/datasets/DCF/MeasTreatTables.rda" %>% 
  url() %>% 
  load()

Nothing is loaded into the Global Environment. Why is this so?

Solution

It's because when using magrittr command chains you're not operating in the global environment.

Let's run your command, but returning the environment by the same token:

library(magrittr)
rm(list=ls())
parallel_universe <- "http://www.mosaic-web.org/go/datasets/DCF/MeasTreatTables.rda" %>% 
   url() %>%
  {load(.);environment()}

Now let's explore those environments:

ls()
#[1] "parallel_universe"
ls(parallel_universe)
#[1] "Measurements" "Treatments"

We've been populating the wrong space. Now let's try again :

rm(list=ls())
"http://www.mosaic-web.org/go/datasets/DCF/MeasTreatTables.rda" %>% 
url() %>% load(globalenv())
ls()
# [1] "Measurements" "Treatments"

Tada

Note that you cannot assign to parent.frame(), it won't work, because magrittr is nesting environments, so if you really want to use this outside of the global environment, this will work:

my_env <- environment()
"http://www.mosaic-web.org/go/datasets/DCF/MeasTreatTables.rda" %>% 
url() %>% load(my_env)