help smcl
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title
[P] smcl -- Stata Markup and Control Language
Description
SMCL, which stands for Stata Markup and Control Language and is
pronounced "smickle", is Stata's output language. SMCL directives, such
as "{it:...}" in
You can output {it:italics} using SMCL
affect how output appears:
You can output italics using SMCL
All Stata output is processed by SMCL: help files, statistical results,
and even the output of display in the programs you write.
Remarks
Remarks are presented under the following headings:
SMCL modes
Command summary -- general syntax
Help file preprocessor directive for substituting repeated material
Formatting directives for use in line and paragraph modes
Link directives for use in line and paragraph modes
Formatting directives for use in line mode
Formatting directives for use in paragraph mode
Inserting values from constant and current-value class
Displaying characters using ASCII code
SMCL modes
SMCL is always in one of four modes:
1. SMCL line mode
2. SMCL paragraph mode
3. As-is mode
4. Stata 6 help mode
Modes 1 and 2 are nearly alike -- in these two modes, SMCL directives are
understood, and the modes differ only in how they treat blanks and
carriage returns. In paragraph mode -- so called because it is useful
for formatting text into paragraphs -- SMCL joins one line to the next
and splits lines to form output with lines that are of nearly equal
length. In line mode, SMCL shows the line much as you entered it. For
instance, in line mode, the input text
Variable name mean standard error
(which might appear in a help file) would be spaced in the output exactly
as you entered it. In paragraph mode, the above would be output as
"Variable name mean standard error", meaning that it would all run
together. On the other hand, the text
The two main uses of SMCL are in the programs you compose and in the
help files you write to document them, although SMCL may be used in
any context. Everything Stata displays on the screen is processed by
SMCL.
would display as a nicely formatted paragraph in paragraph mode.
In mode 3, as-is mode, SMCL directives are not interpreted; text is
displayed just as it was entered. There is seldom need for this mode.
Mode 4, Stata 6 help mode, is included for backward compatibility and
should be avoided. If interested in as-is mode or Stata 6 help mode, see
[P] smcl.
The directive {smcl} followed by a carriage return signals the beginning
of the line and paragraph SMCL modes. The default SMCL mode is line
mode. Paragraph mode is entered using the {p} directive. SMCL paragraph
mode ends, and SMCL line mode is reestablished, when a blank line is
encountered or the {p_end} directive is given.
It is only from line mode that you can get to the other modes. In
addition to the {p} directive for SMCL paragraph mode, there is the
{asis} and {s6hlp} directives that activate the as-is mode and Stata 6
help mode. To return to SMCL mode from these two modes, you must use the
{smcl} directive.
Command summary -- general syntax
Pretend that {xyz} is a SMCL directive, although it is not. {xyz} might
have any of the following syntaxes:
Syntax 1: {xyz}
Syntax 2: {xyz:text}
Syntax 3: {xyz args}
Syntax 4: {xyz args:text}
Syntax 1 means "do whatever it is that {xyz} does". Syntax 2 means "do
whatever it is that {xyz} does, do it on the text text, and then stop
doing it". Syntax 3 means "do whatever it is that {xyz} does, as
modified by args". Finally, syntax 4 means "do whatever it is that {xyz}
does, as modified by args, do it on the text text, and then stop doing
it".
Not every SMCL directive has all four syntaxes, and which syntaxes are
allowed is made clear in the descriptions below.
In syntaxes 3 and 4, text may contain other SMCL directives. However, be
aware of one important limitation: not only must the braces match, but
they must match on the same physical (input) line.
Help file preprocessor directive for substituting repeated material
INCLUDE help arg follows syntax 3.
INCLUDE specifies that SMCL substitute the contents of a file named
arg.ihlp. This is useful when you need to include the same text
multiple times.
Formatting directives for use in line and paragraph modes
{sf}, {it}, and {bf} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
These directives specify how the font is to appear. {sf} indicates
standard face, {it} italic face, and {bf} boldface.
Used in syntax 1, these directives switch to the font face specified,
and that rendition will continue to be used until another one of the
directives is given.
Used in syntax 2, they display text in the specified way and then
switch the font face back to whatever it was previously.
{input}, {error}, {result}, and {text} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
These directives specify how the text should be rendered: in the
style that indicates user input, an error, a calculated result, or
the text around calculated results.
These styles are often rendered as color. In the Results window, on
a white background, Stata by default shows input in black and bold,
error messages in red, calculated results in black and bold, and text
in black. However, the relationship between the real colors and
{input}, {error}, {result}, and {text} may not be the default (the
user could reset it).
{inp}, {err}, {res}, and {txt} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
These four commands are synonyms for {input}, {error}, {result}, and
{text}.
{cmd} follows syntaxes 1 and 2.
{cmd} is similar to the "color" styles and is the recommended way to
show Stata commands in help files. Do not confuse {cmd} with {inp}.
{inp} is the way commands actually typed are shown, and {cmd} is the
recommended way you show commands you might type. We recommend that
you present help files in terms of {txt} and use {cmd} to show
commands; use any of {sf}, {it}, or {bf} in a help file, but we
recommend that you not use any of the "colors" {inp}, {err}, or
{res}, except where you are showing actual Stata output.
{cmdab:text1:text2} follows a variation on syntax 2 (note the double
colons).
{cmdab} is the recommended way to show minimum abbreviations for
Stata commands and options in help files; text1 represents the
minimum abbreviation, and text2 represents the rest of the text.
When the entire command or option name is the minimum abbreviation,
you may omit text2 along with the extra colon. {cmdab:text} is then
equivalent to {cmd:text}.
{opt option}, {opt option(arg)}, {opt option(a,b)}, and {opt option(a|b)}
follow syntax 3; alternatives to using {cmd}.
{opt option1:option2}, {opt option1:option2(arg)}, {opt
option1:option2(a,b)}, and {opt option1:option2(a|b)} follow syntaxes 3
and 4; alternatives to using {cmdab}.
{opt} is the recommended way to show options. {opt} allows you to
easily include arguments.
SMCL directive ... is equivalent to typing ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
{opt option} {cmd:option}
{opt option(arg)} {cmd:option(}{it:args}{cmd:)}
{opt option(a,b)} {cmd:option(}{it:a}{cmd:,}{it:b}{cmd:)}
{opt option(a|b)} {cmd:option(}{it:a}|{it:b}{cmd:)}
{opt option1:option2} {cmd:option1:option2}
{opt option1:option2(arg)} {cmd:option1:option2(}{it:arg}{cmd:)}
{opt option1:option2(a,b)} {cmd:option1:option2(}{it:a}{cmd:,}{it:b}{cmd:)}
{opt option1:option2(a|b)} {cmd:option1:option2(}{it:a}|{it:b}{cmd:)}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
option1 represents the minimum abbreviation, and option2 represents
the rest of the text.
a,b and a|b may have any number of elements. Available elements that
are displayed in {cmd} style are ,, =, :, *, %, and (). Several
elements are displayed in plain text style: |, {}, and [].
Also {opth option(arg)} is equivalent to {opt}, except that arg is
displayed as a link to help; see Link directives for use in line and
paragraph modes for more details.
{hilite} and {hi} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
{hilite} and {hi} are synonyms. {hilite} is the recommended way to
highlight (draw attention to) something in help files. You might
highlight, for example, a reference to a manual, the Stata Journal,
or a book.
{ul} follows syntaxes 2 and 3.
{ul on} starts underlining mode. {ul off} ends it. {ul:text}
underlines text.
{*} follows syntaxes 2 and 4.
{*} indicates a comment. What follows it (inside the braces) is
ignored.
{hline} follows syntaxes 1 and 3.
{hline} (syntax 1) draws a horizontal line the rest of the way across
the page. {hline #} (syntax 3) draws a horizontal line of #
characters. {hline} (either syntax) is generally used in line mode.
{.-} follows syntax 1.
{.-} is a synonym for {hline} (syntax 1).
{dup #:text} follows syntax 4.
{dup} repeats text # times.
{char code} and {c code} are synonyms and follow syntax 3.
These directives display the specified characters which otherwise
might be difficult to type on your keyboard. See Displaying
characters using ASCII code below.
{reset} follows syntax 1.
{reset} is equivalent to coding {txt}{sf}.
Link directives for use in line and paragraph modes
All the link commands share the feature that when syntax 4 is allowed,
Syntax 4: {xyz args:text}
then syntax 3 is also allowed,
Syntax 3: {xyz args}
and if you specify syntax 3, Stata treats it as if you specified syntax
4, inserting a colon and then repeating the argument.
The link directives, which may be used in either line mode or paragraph
mode, are the following:
{help args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{help} displays args as a link to help args; see [R] help. If you
also specify the optional :text, text is displayed instead of args,
but you are still directed to the help file for args.
{helpb args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{helpb} is equivalent to {help}, except that args or text is
displayed in boldface.
{manhelp args1 args2[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{manhelp} displays [args2] args1 as a link to help args1; thus
{manhelp summarize R} would display [R] summarize. Specifying the
optional :text displays text instead of args1, but you are still
directed to the help file for args1.
{manhelpi args1 args2[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{manhelpi} is equivalent to {manhelp}, except that args or text is
displayed in italics.
{help args##markername[|viewername][:text]} and {marker markername}
follow syntax 3.
They let the user jump to a specific location within a file, not just
to the top of the file. {help args##markername} displays
args##markername as a link that will jump to the location marked by
{marker markername}. Specifying the optional |viewername will
display the results of {marker markername} in a new Viewer window
named viewername; _new is a valid viewername that assigns a unique
name for the new Viewer. Specifying the optional :text displays text
instead of args##markername. args represents the name of the file
where the {marker} is located. If args contains spaces, be sure to
specify it within quotes.
We document the directive as {help ...}; however, view, news, net,
ado, and update may be used in place of help, although you would
probably want to use only help or view.
{help_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{help_d} displays text as a link that will display a help dialog box
from which the user may obtain interactive help on any Stata command.
{newvar[:args]} follows syntaxes 1 and 2.
{newvar} displays newvar as a link to help newvar. If you also
specify the optional :args, Stata concatenates args to newvar to
display newvar<args>.
{var[:args]} and {varname[:args]} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
{var} and {varname} display varname as a link to help varname. If
you also specify the optional :args, Stata concatenates args to
varname to display varname<args>.
{vars[:args]} and {varlist[:args]} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
{vars} and {varlist} display varlist as a link to help varlist. If
you also specify the optional :args, Stata concatenates args to
varlist to display varlist<args>.
{depvar[:args]} follows syntaxes 1 and 2.
{depvar} displays depvar as a link to help depvar. If you also
specify the optional :args, Stata concatenates args to depvar to
display depvar<args>.
{depvars[:args]} and {depvarlist[:args]} follow syntaxes 1 and 2.
{depvars} and {depvarlist} display depvarlist as a link to help
depvarlist. If you also specify the optional :args, Stata
concatenates args to depvarlist to display depvarlist<args>.
{indepvars[:args]} follows syntaxes 1 and 2.
{indepvars} displays indepvars as a link to help varlist. If you
also specify the optional :args, Stata concatenates args to indepvars
to display indepvars<args>.
{ifin} follows syntax 1.
{ifin} displays [if] and [in], where if is a link to the help for the
if qualifier and in is a link to the help for the in qualifier.
{weight} follows syntax 1.
{weight} displays [weight], where weight is a link to the help for
the weight specification.
{dtype} follows syntax 1.
{dtype} displays [type], where type is a link to help data types.
{search args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{search} displays text as a link that will display the results of
search on args; see [R] search.
{search_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{search_d} displays text as a link that will display a Keyword Search
dialog box from which the user can obtain interactive help by
entering keywords of choice.
{dialog args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{dialog} displays text as a link that will launch the dialog box for
args. args must contain the name of the dialog box and may
optionally contain , message(string), where string is the message to
be passed to the dialog box.
{browse args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{browse} displays text as a link that will launch the user's browser
pointing at args. Because args is typically a URL containing a
colon, args usually must be specified within quotes.
{view args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{view} displays text as a link that will present in the Viewer the
filename args. If args is a URL, be sure to specify it in quotes.
{view} is seldom used in a SMCL file (such as a help file) because
you would seldom know of a fixed location for the file unless it is a
URL. {view} is sometimes used from programs because the program
knows the location of the file it created.
{view} can also be used with {marker}; see above.
{view_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{view_d} displays text as a link that will display the Choose File to
View dialog box in which the user may type the name of a file or a
URL to be displayed in the Viewer.
{manpage args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{manpage} displays text as a link that will launch the user's PDF
viewer pointing at args. args are a Stata manual (such as R or SVY)
and a page number. The page number is optional. If the page number
is not specified, the PDF viewer will open to the first page of the
file.
{mansection args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{mansection} displays text as a link that will launch the user's PDF
viewer pointing at args. args are a Stata manual (such as R or SVY)
and a named destination within that manual (such as predict or
regresspostestimation). The named destination is optional. If
specified, it should consist of no spaces. If the named destination
is not specified, the PDF viewer will open to the first page of the
file.
{manlink man entry} and {manlinki man entry} follow syntax 3.
{manlink} and {manlinki} display man and entry using the {mansection}
directive as a link that will launch the user's PDF viewer pointing
at that manual entry. man is a Stata manual (such as R or SVY) and
entry is the name of an entry within that manual (such as predict or
regress postestimation). The named destination should be written as
it appears in the title of the manual entry.
SMCL directive ... is equivalent to typing ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
{manlink man entry} {bf:{mansection man entry_ns:[man] entry}}
{manlinki man entry} {bf:{mansection man entry_ns:[man] {it:entry}}}
---------------------------------------------------------------------
entry_ns is entry with the following characters removed: space, left
and right quotes (` and '), #, $, ~, {, }, [, and ].
{news:text} follows syntax 2.
{news} displays text as a link that will display in the Viewer the
latest news from http://www.stata.com.
{news} can also be used with {marker}; see above.
{net args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{net} displays args as a link that will display in the Viewer the
results of net args; see [R] net. Specifying the optional :text,
display text instead of args. For security reasons, net get and net
install cannot be executed in this way. Instead use {net describe
...} to show the page, and from there, the user can click on the
appropriate links to install the materials. Whenever args contains a
colon, as it does when args is a URL, be sure to enclose args in
quotes.
{net cd .:text} displays text as a link that will display the
contents of the current net location.
{net} can also be used with {marker}; see above.
{net_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{net_d} displays text as a link that will display a Keyword Search
dialog box from which the user can search the Internet for additions
to Stata.
{netfrom_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{netfrom_d} displays text as a link that will display a Choose
Download Site dialog box into which the user may enter a URL and then
see the contents of the site. This directive is seldom used.
{ado args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{ado} displays text as a link that will display in the Viewer the
results of ado args; see [R] net. For security reasons, ado
uninstall cannot be executed in this way. Instead use {ado describe
...} to show the package, and from there, the user can click to
uninstall (delete) the material.
{ado} can also be used with {marker}; see above.
{ado_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{ado_d} displays text as a link that will display a Search Installed
Programs dialog box from which the user can search for user-written
routines previously installed (and uninstall them if desired).
{update args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{update} displays text as a link that will display in the Viewer the
results of update args; see [R] update. If args contains a URL, be
careful to place the args in quotes.
args can be omitted because the update command is valid without
arguments. {update:text} is really the best way to use the {update}
directive because it allows the user to chose whether and from where
to update their Stata.
{update} can also be used with {marker}; see above.
{update_d:text} follows syntax 2.
{update_d} displays text as a link that will display a Choose
Official Update Site dialog box into which the user may type a source
(typically http://www.stata.com, but perhaps a local CD drive) from
which to install official updates to Stata.
{back:text} follows syntax 2.
{back} displays text as a link that will take an action equivalent to
pressing the Viewer's Back button.
{clearmore:text} follows syntax 2.
{clearmore} displays text as a link that will take an action
equivalent to pressing Stata's Clear -more- Condition button.
{clearmore} is of little use to anyone but the developers of Stata.
{stata args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{stata} displays text as a link that will execute the Stata command
args in the Results window. Stata will first ask before executing
the command that is displayed in a web browser. If args (the Stata
command) contains a colon, remember to enclose the command in quotes.
{matacmd args[:text]} follows syntaxes 3 and 4.
{matacmd} works the same as {stata}, except that it submits a command
to Mata. If Mata is not already active, the command will be prefixed
with mata to allow Stata to execute it.
Formatting directives for use in line mode
{title:text}(carriage return) follows syntax 2.
{title:text} displays text as a title.
{center:text} and {centre:text} follow syntax 2.
{center #:text} and {centre #:text} follow syntax 4.
{center:text} and {centre:text} are synonyms; they center the text on
the line. {center:text} should usually be followed by a carriage
return; otherwise, any text that follows it will appear on the same
line. With syntax 4, they center the text in a field of width #.
{rcenter:text} and {rcentre:text} follow syntax 2.
{rcenter #:text} and {rcentre #:text} follow syntax 4.
{rcenter:text} and {rcentre:text} are synonyms. {rcenter} is
equivalent to {center}, except that text is displayed one space to
the right when there are unequal spaces left and right.
{rcenter:text} should be followed by a carriage return; otherwise,
any text that follows it will appear on the same line. With syntax 4,
they center the text in a field of width #.
{right:text} follows syntax 2.
{right:text} displays text with its last character aligned on the
right margin. {right:text} should be followed by a carriage return.
{lalign #:text} and {ralign #:text} follow syntax 4.
{lalign} left-aligns text in a field # characters wide, and {ralign}
right-aligns text in a field # characters wide.
{dlgtab [# [#]]:text} follows syntaxes 2 and 4.
{dlgtab} displays text as a dialog tab. The first # specifies how
many characters to indent the dialog tab from the left-hand side, and
the second # specifies how much to indent from the right-hand side.
The default is {dlgtab 4 2:text}.
{...} follows syntax 1.
{...} specifies that the next carriage return be treated as a blank.
{col #} follows syntax 3.
{col #} skips forward to column #. If you are already at or beyond
that column in the output, then {col #} does nothing.
{space #} follows syntax 3.
{space #} is equivalent to typing # blank characters.
{tab} follows syntax 1.
{tab} has the same effect as typing a tab character. Tab stops are
set every eight spaces.
Note: SMCL also understands tab characters and treats them the same
as the {tab} command, so you may include tabs in your files.
Formatting directives for use in paragraph mode
{p} follows syntax 3. The full syntax is {p # # # #}.
{p # # # #} enters paragraph mode. The first # specifies how many
characters to indent the first line; the second #, how much to indent
the second and subsequent lines; the third #, how much to bring in
the right margin on all lines; and the fourth # is the total width
for the paragraph. Numbers, if not specified, default to zero, so
typing {p} without numbers is equivalent to typing {p 0 0 0 0}, {p #}
is equivalent to {p # 0 0 0}, and so on. A zero for the fourth #
means use the default paragraph width; see linesize. {p} (with or
without numbers) may be followed by a carriage return or not; it
makes no difference.
Paragraph mode ends when a blank line is encountered, the {p_end}
directive is encountered, or {smcl}(carriage return) is encountered.
Several shortcut directives have also been added for commonly used
paragraph mode settings:
SMCL directive ... is equivalent to typing ...
-------------------------------------------------
{pstd} {p 4 4 2}
{psee} {p 4 13 2}
{phang} {p 4 8 2}
{pmore} {p 8 8 2}
{pin} {p 8 8 2}
{phang2} {p 8 12 2}
{pmore2} {p 12 12 2}
{pin2} {p 12 12 2}
{phang3} {p 12 16 2}
{pmore3} {p 16 16 2}
{pin3} {p 16 16 2}
{p_end} follows syntax 1.
{p_end} is a way of ending a paragraph without having a blank line
between paragraphs. {p_end} may be followed by a carriage return or
not; it will make no difference in the output.
{p2colset # # # #} follows syntax 3.
{p2colset} sets column spacing for a two-column table. The first #
specifies the beginning position of the first column, the second #
specifies the placement of the second column, the third # specifies
the placement for subsequent lines of the second column, and the last
# specifies the number to indent from the right-hand side for the
second column.
{p2col [# # # #]:[first_column_text]} [second_column_text] follows
syntaxes 2 and 4.
{p2col} specifies the rows that make up the two-column table.
Specifying the optional numbers redefines the numbers specified in
{p2colset} for this row only. If the first_column_text or the
second_column_text is not specified, the respective column is left
blank.
{p2line [# #]} follows syntaxes 1 and 3.
{p2line} draws a dashed line for use with a two-column table. The
first # specifies the left indentation, and the second # specifies
the right indentation. If no numbers are specified, the defaults are
based on the numbers provided in {p2colset}.
{p2colreset} follows syntax 1.
{p2colreset} restores the {p2col} default values.
{synoptset [#] [tabbed|notes]} follows syntaxes 1 and 3.
{synoptset} sets standard column spacing for the two-column tables
used to document options in syntax diagrams. # specifies the width
of the first column; the width defaults to 20 if # is not specified.
The optional argument tabbed specifies that the table will contain
headings or "tabs" for sets of options. The optional argument notes
specifies that some of the table entries will have footnotes and
results in a larger indentation of the first column than the tabbed
argument implies.
{synopthdr[:first_column_header]} follows syntaxes 1 and 2.
{synopthdr...} outputs a standard header for a syntax-diagram-option
table. first_column_header is used to title the first column in the
header; if first_column_header is not specified then the first column
is titled "options". The second column is always titled
"description".
{syntab:text} follows syntax 2.
{syntab:text} outputs text positioned as a subheading or "tab" in a
syntax-diagram-option table.
{synopt:[first_column_text]}[second_column_text] follows syntax 2.
{synopt} specifies the rows that make up the two-column table; it is
equivalent to {p2col} (see above).
{p2coldent:[first_column_text]}[second_column_text] follows syntax 2.
{p2coldent...} is the same as {synopt}, except the first_column_text
is displayed with the standard indentation (which may be negative).
The second_column_text is displayed in paragraph mode and ends when a
blank line, {p_end}, or a carriage return is encountered. The
location of the columns is determined by a prior {synoptset} or
{p2colset} directive.
{synoptline} follows syntax 1.
{synoptline} draws a horizontal line that extends to the boundaries
of the previous {synoptset} or, less often, {p2colset} directive.
{bind:text} follows syntax 2.
{bind:text} keeps text together on a line, even if that makes one
line of the paragraph short. {bind:text} can also be used to insert
one or more real spaces into the paragraph if you specify text as one
or more spaces.
{break} follows syntax 1.
{break} forces a line break without ending the paragraph.
Inserting values from constant and current-value class
The {ccl} directive outputs the value contained in a constant and
current-value class (c()) object. For instance, {ccl pi} provides the
value of the constant pi (3.14159...) contained in c(pi). See [P]
creturn for a list of all the available c() objects.
Displaying characters using ASCII code
The {char} directive -- synonym {c} -- allows you to output any ASCII
character. For instance, {c 106} is equivalent to typing the letter j
because ASCII code 106 is defined as the letter j.
You can get to all the ASCII characters by typing {c #}, where # is
between 1 and 255. Or, if you prefer, you can type {c 0x#}, where # is a
hexadecimal number between 1 and ff. Thus {c 0x6a} is also j because the
hexadecimal number 6a is equal to the decimal number 106.
Also, so that you do not have to remember the ASCII numbers, {c} provides
special codes for characters that are, for one reason or another,
difficult to type. These include
{c S|} $ (dollar sign)
{c 'g} ` (open single quote)
{c -(} { (left curly brace)
{c )-} } (right curly brace)
{c S|} and {c 'g} are included not because they are difficult to type or
cause SMCL any problems but because in Stata display statements, they can
be difficult to display, since they are Stata's macro substitution
characters and tend to be interpreted by Stata.
{c -(} and {c )-} are included because { and } are used to enclose SMCL
directives. Although { and } have special meaning to SMCL, SMCL usually
displays the two characters correctly when they do not have a special
meaning. SMCL follows the rule that, when it does not understand what it
thinks ought to be a directive, it shows what it did not understand in
unmodified form.
SMCL also provides the following line-drawing characters:
{c -} -, a wide dash character
{c |} |, a tall |
{c +} +, a wide dash on top of a tall |
{c TT} -, a top T
{c BT} -, a bottom T
{c LT} |, a left T
{c RT} |, a right T
{c TLC} +, a top-left corner
{c TRC} +, a top-right corner
{c BRC} +, a bottom-right corner
{c BLC} +, a bottom-left corner
The above are not really ASCII; they are instructions to SMCL to draw
lines. The "characters" are, however, one character wide and one
character tall, so you can use them as characters in your output.
Finally, SMCL provides the following Western European characters:
{c a'} á {c A'} Á
{c e'} é {c E'} É
{c i'} í {c I'} Í
{c o'} ó {c O'} Ó
{c u'} ú {c U'} Ú
{c a'g} à {c A'g} À
{c e'g} è {c E'g} È
{c i'g} ì {c I'g} Ì
{c o'g} ò {c O'g} Ò
{c u'g} ù {c U'g} Ù
{c a^} â {c A^} Â
{c e^} ê {c E^} Ê
{c i^} î {c I^} Î
{c o^} ô {c O^} Ô
{c u^} û {c U^} Û
{c a~} ã {c A~} Ã
{c o~} õ {c O~} Õ
{c a:} ä {c A:} Ä
{c e:} ë {c E:} Ë
{c i:} ï {c I:} Ï
{c o:} ö {c O:} Ö
{c u:} ü {c U:} Ü
{c ae} æ {c AE} Æ
{c c,} ç {c C,} Ç
{c n~} ñ {c N~} Ñ
{c o/} ö {c O/} Ö
{c y'} ý {c Y'} Ý
{c y:} ÿ {c ss} ß
{c r?} ¿ {c r!} ¡
{c L-} £ {c Y=} ¥
SMCL uses ISO-8859-1 (Latin1) to render the above characters. For
example, {c e'} is equivalent to {c 0xe9}, if you care to look it up.
For the Mac, however, Stata uses the Mac encoding, but this can be reset.
See [P] smcl for details.
Also see
Manual: [P] smcl
Help: [R] creturn, [P] display, [U] 18.11.6 Writing online help, [R]
log, [R] translate, viewer
