Re: st: RE: RE: highest scalar of a matrix

[David Kantor <dkantor@jhu.edu>]

At 03:05 PM 6/6/2003 +0100, Joao Pedro W. de Azevedo  wrote:

> > > I'm looking for a function or a routine in Stata7 which would
> > > give me the
> > > highest scalar of a matrix
Both Nick Winter & Nick Cox replied.

I would just add a warning.  In Nick Winter's program,

>       if `M'[`r',`c']>`val' {
>         scalar `val'=`M'[`r',`c']

will pick up missing values if any are present in `M', which is possible in 
Stata 8 (even if your program
states version 7).

Unless you want to count a missing as a maximal value, that condition should be
  if ~mi(`M'[`r',`c']) & (`M'[`r',`c'] > `val  | mi(`val') ) {

Why did I throw in that condition mi(`val') ?  Because `val' is pre-loaded 
with `M'[1,1], so it, too, may be missing, until it is replaced when the 
first nonmissing value is encountered.

(Now, given this more robust test, you could pre-load `val' with missing, 
rather than `M'[1,1].)

I am not familiar with the -matmax- program by Jeroen Weesie, so I don't 
know whether it takes this approach.

-- David


David Kantor
Institute for Policy Studies
Johns Hopkins University
dkantor@jhu.edu
410-516-5404

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