Re: st: quick question

[Gary Longton <glongton@fhcrc.org>]

Lachenbruch, Peter wrote:

> I have a data set that I got with some oddball names like PyrexIA or
> CuTaneousDA, etc. and I'd like to rename everything so all characters were
> lowercase.  Is there an easy way to do this via a foreach loop and a simple
> command, or do I have to 
> rename PyrexIA pyrexia
> rename CuTaneousDA cutaneousda
>
> I looked at the lower function but that seems to operate on variables rather
> than names.
Richard Williams, Roger Newson, and Richard Goldstein suggested -renvars-, a 
single command solution which will do this in one fell swoop.
But I think you were also on the right track with what Nick Cox might call a 
"first principles" approach, using -foreach- and the lower() function.  You just 
need to ensure that lower() is looking at the string variable name as an 
argument, rather than at the variable itself, by enclosing in double quotes.  Eg.

   foreach var of varlist _all {
       local newname = lower("`var'")
       if "`var'" ~= "`newname'" {
           rename `var' `newname'
       }
   }

should do it.

- Gary



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