Assign multiple new variables on LHS in a single line

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There is a great answer on the Struggling Through Problems Blog

This is taken from there, with very minor modifications.

USING THE FOLLOWING THREE FUNCTIONS
(Plus one for allowing for lists of different sizes)

# Generic form
'%=%' = function(l, r, ...) UseMethod('%=%')

# Binary Operator
'%=%.lbunch' = function(l, r, ...) {
  Envir = as.environment(-1)

  if (length(r) > length(l))
    warning("RHS has more args than LHS. Only first", length(l), "used.")

  if (length(l) > length(r))  {
    warning("LHS has more args than RHS. RHS will be repeated.")
    r <- extendToMatch(r, l)
  }

  for (II in 1:length(l)) {
    do.call('<-', list(l[[II]], r[[II]]), envir=Envir)
  }
}

# Used if LHS is larger than RHS
extendToMatch <- function(source, destin) {
  s <- length(source)
  d <- length(destin)

  # Assume that destin is a length when it is a single number and source is not
  if(d==1 && s>1 && !is.null(as.numeric(destin)))
    d <- destin

  dif <- d - s
  if (dif > 0) {
    source <- rep(source, ceiling(d/s))[1:d]
  }
  return (source)
}

# Grouping the left hand side
g = function(...) {
  List = as.list(substitute(list(...)))[-1L]
  class(List) = 'lbunch'
  return(List)
}

Then to execute:

Group the left hand side using the new function g()
The right hand side should be a vector or a list
Use the newly-created binary operator %=%

# Example Call;  Note the use of g()  AND  `%=%`
#     Right-hand side can be a list or vector
g(a, b, c)  %=%  list("hello", 123, list("apples, oranges"))

g(d, e, f) %=%  101:103

# Results: 
> a
[1] "hello"
> b
[1] 123
> c
[[1]]
[1] "apples, oranges"

> d
[1] 101
> e
[1] 102
> f
[1] 103

Example using lists of different sizes:

Longer Left Hand Side

g(x, y, z) %=% list("first", "second")
#   Warning message:
#   In `%=%.lbunch`(g(x, y, z), list("first", "second")) :
#     LHS has more args than RHS. RHS will be repeated.
> x
[1] "first"
> y
[1] "second"
> z
[1] "first"

Longer Right Hand Side

g(j, k) %=% list("first", "second", "third")
#   Warning message:
#   In `%=%.lbunch`(g(j, k), list("first", "second", "third")) :
#     RHS has more args than LHS. Only first2used.
> j
[1] "first"
> k
[1] "second"

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