title: apply function on every element of a list
body: <p>I have the following</p>
  
  <pre><code>T&lt;-as.data.frame(lapply(tables[3][[1]], function(y) gsub("\\s+", " ", y)),stringsAsFactors = FALSE)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>where each list element as a data frame.</p>
  
  <p>As you can see this only works on the third element, but I want it to work on all elements.</p>
  
  <p>How can I avoid doing something like this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>as.data.frame(lapply(tables[1][[1]], function(y) gsub("\\s+", " ", y)),stringsAsFactors = FALSE)
  as.data.frame(lapply(tables[2][[1]], function(y) gsub("\\s+", " ", y)),stringsAsFactors = FALSE)
  as.data.frame(lapply(tables[3][[1]], function(y) gsub("\\s+", " ", y)),stringsAsFactors = FALSE)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>without having to resort to a clunky for loop?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks</p>
  
  <p>for reference (other elements are similar)</p>
  
  <pre><code>tables[3]
  $`NULL`
         V1                                                                   V2            V3       V4
  1   Value                                                              Meaning    Valid From Valid To
  2                                                                        Wound                       
  3     01A                                                           Laceration 1st July 2010         
  4     01B                                                            Contusion 1st July 2010         
  5     01C                                                             Abrasion 1st July 2010         
  6     01D                                   Soft tissue \r\n      inflammation 1st July 2010         
  7     01Z                                Wound, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  8                                                        Head \r\n      Injury                       
  9     02A                                      Glasgow Coma Score \r\n      15 1st July 2010         
  10    02B                                     Glasgow Coma Score \r\n      &lt;15 1st July 2010         
  11    02C                                                    Dental \r\nInjury 1st July 2010         
  12    02Z                          Head Injury, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  13                                                                    Fracture                       
  14    03A                                                    Open \r\nFracture 1st July 2010         
  15    03B                                              Closed \r\n    Fracture 1st July 2010         
  16    03C                                       Fracture \r\n      Dislocation 1st July 2010         
  17    03Z                             Fracture, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  18                                                      Joint \r\n      Injury                       
  19    04A                                                               Sprain 1st July 2010         
  20    04B                                                          Dislocation 1st July 2010         
  21    04C                                                          Subluxation 1st July 2010         
  22    04Z                         Joint Injury, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  23                                                                  Amputation                       
  24    05Z                           Amputation, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  25                                                Soft Tissue \r\n      Injury                       
  26    06A                                                    Muscle \r\nInjury 1st July 2010         
  27    06B                                                    Tendon \r\nInjury 1st July 2010         
  28    06C                                                         Nerve Injury 1st July 2010         
  29    06D                                              Visceral \r\n    Injury 1st July 2010         
  30    06E                                              Vascular \r\n    Injury 1st July 2010         
  31    06Z                   Soft Tissue Injury, other \r\n      or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  32                              Burns, Scalds and \r\n      Thermal Conditions                       
  33    07A                                                             Electric 1st July 2010         
  34    07B                                                             Chemical 1st July 2010         
  35    07C                                                            Radiation 1st July 2010         
  36    07D                                                                Scald 1st July 2010         
  37    07E                                                              Sunburn 1st July 2010         
  38    07F                                                         Hyperthermia 1st July 2010         
  39    07G                                                          Hypothermia 1st July 2010         
  40    07H                                                            Frostbite 1st July 2010         
  41    07Z Burns, Scalds and Thermal \r\n      Conditions, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  42                                                      Foreign \r\n      Body                       
  43    08A                                      Ingested Foreign \r\n      Body 1st July 2010         
  44    08Z                         Foreign Body, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  45                                                   Puncture \r\n      Wounds                       
  46    09A                                        Needle Stick \r\n      Injury 1st July 2010         
  47    09B                                                           Human Bite 1st July 2010         
  48    09C                                                          Animal Bite 1st July 2010         
  49    09D                                       Insect Bite or \r\n      Sting 1st July 2010         
  50    09Z                      Puncture Wounds, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  51                                             Poisoning or \r\n      Overdose                       
  52    10A                                                              Alcohol 1st July 2010         
  53    10B                                            Prescribed \r\n      Drug 1st July 2010         
  54    10C                              Non-prescribed/purchased \r\n      drug 1st July 2010         
  55    10D                                               Illicit \r\n      Drug 1st July 2010         
  56    10Z                Poisoning or Overdose, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  57                                                                    Drowning                       
  58    11A                                                    Near \r\nDrowning 1st July 2010         
  59    11Z                             Drowning, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  60                                                Infectious \r\n      Disease                       
  61    12A                                         Notifiable \r\n      Disease 1st July 2010         
  62    12B                                     Non-notifiable \r\n      Disease 1st July 2010         
  63                                                   Local \r\n      Infection                       
  64    13A                                                          Septicaemia 1st July 2010         
  65    13Z                            Infection, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  66                                            Respiratory \r\n      Conditions                       
  67    14A                                                               Asthma 1st July 2010         
  68    14B                      Chronic Obstructive \r\n      Pulmonary disease 1st July 2010         
  69    14Z               Respiratory Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  70                                       Endocrinological \r\n      Conditions                       
  71    15A                                                             Diabetes 1st July 2010         
  72    15Z          Endocrinological \r\n      Conditions, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  73                                         Cardiovascular \r\n      Conditions                       
  74    16A                                      Myocardial \r\n      Infarction 1st July 2010         
  75    16B                                                   Vascular Condition 1st July 2010         
  76    16Z            Cardiovascular Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  77                                                     Neurological Conditions                       
  78    17A                                                   Seizure/Convulsion 1st July 2010         
  79    17B                                      Cerebrovascular \r\n      Event 1st July 2010         
  80    17Z              Neurological Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  81                                       Gastrointestinal \r\n      Conditions                       
  82    18Z          Gastrointestinal \r\n      Conditions, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  83                                                       Urological Conditions                       
  84    19Z                Urological Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  85                                         Dermatological \r\n      Conditions                       
  86    20Z            Dermatological Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  87                                Psychological/Psychiatric \r\n    Conditions                       
  88    21Z Psychological/Psychiatric \r\n      Conditions, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  89                                              Obstetric \r\n      Conditions                       
  90    22Z                 Obstetric Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  91                                         Gynaecological \r\n      Conditions                       
  92    23Z            Gynaecological Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  93                                         Haematological \r\n      Conditions                       
  94    24Z            Haematological Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  95                                             Ophthalmic \r\n      Conditions                       
  96    25Z                Ophthalmic Conditions, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  97                                        Rheumatological \r\n      Conditions                       
  98    26Z           Rheumatological \r\n      Conditions, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  99                                           Genito-Urinary \r\n      Medicine                       
  100   27Z              Genito-urinary Medicine, \r\n      other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  101                                  Ear, Nose and Throat \r\n      Conditions                       
  102   28Z      Ear, Nose and Throat \r\n      Conditions, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  103                                                                       Pain                       
  104   29A                                    Chest Pain, non \r\n      cardiac 1st July 2010         
  105   29B                                               Abdominal \r\n    Pain 1st July 2010         
  106   29Z                                 Pain, other or \r\n      unspecified 1st July 2010         
  107                                  Allergy (including \r\n      Anaphylaxis)                       
  108   30Z      Allergy (including \r\n      Anaphylaxis), other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  109                                     Social \r\n      Problems/Homelessness                       
  110   31A                                      Chronic Alcohol \r\n      Abuse 1st July 2010         
  111   31B                                         Chronic Drug \r\n      Abuse 1st July 2010         
  112   31Z         Social \r\n      Problems/Homelessness, other or unspecified 1st July 2010         
  113   97Z                                  Nothing Abnormal \r\n      Detected 1st July 2010         
  114   98Z                     Diagnosis Type Not \r\n      Otherwise Specified 1st July 2010         
  115   99Z                                     Diagnosis Not \r\n      Recorded 1st July 2010 
  </code></pre>