TraMineR seqdef() is picky. Sometimes you need to define a new data frame just to get it recognized.

importData2TraMineR.r

# I am mystified by how Traminer handles the data format. 
# Here's the data from the 2015 NAEP Reading tryout study, SC block
# where I transformed the data to simplify the structure. 
# Then I try to use seqformat() or seqdef() to turn the existing data frame
# in to a TraMineR object. 

sc %>% filter(readingTime>0) %>% group_by(student) %>% arrange(readingTime) %>%
  mutate(c1=1:n(), c2=2:(n()+1), t0=c(1, readingTime[1:n()-1])) %>% 
  select(student, c1, c2, state2, t0, readingTime, event2) %>% na.omit() ->scSPELL

scSPELL$student <-factor(scSPELL$student)
scSPELL$state2  <-factor(scSPELL$state2)
scSPELL$t1<-round(scSPELL$t0/1000)+1
scSPELL$t2<-round(scSPELL$readingTime/1000)+1

# The following code fails
# slmax = 60
# sc.sts <- seqformat(scSPELL, from="SPELL", to="STS", begin="c1", end="c2", id="student", status="state2", limit=slmax)

# this line fails
# sc.sts<- seqdef(scSPELL, 1:4, informat="SPELL", limit=350)

# but the following works: first construct a new df
sc.spell<-data.frame(scSPELL$student, c1=scSPELL$c1, c2=scSPELL$c2, status=scSPELL$state2)
# and then seqdef()
sc.sts<- seqdef(sc.spell, 1:4, informat="SPELL", limit=350)
cpal(sc.sts) <-c("red", "yellow", "orange", "brown", "gray", "black", "green")