Unless you are using a Stata version before Stata 7, one
answer is not to use -while- at all.
It is a lot clearer and simpler to use -foreach-:
foreach v of var x1y1 x1y2 x2y1 x2y2 {
tab `v'
}
although in this particular example you can also
go
tab1 x1y1 x1y2 x2y1 x2y2
and you could possibly also go
foreach v of var x?y? {
tab `v'
}
which would also pick up -x3y1- (and not
the non-existent -x3y2-).
In terms of your original example, another
answer is to use -noisily- and -capture-,
but as implied I really would recommend that
you go straight to -foreach- (or upgrade
to Stata 8).
-foreach- is discussed in [P]. In addition,
there was a tutorial on -foreach- in Stata Journal
2(2): 202-222 (2002). Some earlier versions of that are
on the web, e.g.
http://fmwww.bc.edu/RePEc/usug2002/fortitude.pdf
Nick
[email protected]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Pradeep
> Kurukulasuriya
> Sent: 16 March 2004 13:29
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: st: Loops using local macros
>
>
> Dear STATA users:
>
> I am relatively new STATA user and have a basic question on
> loops which
> I hope some of you will be able to answer:
>
> Suppose I have the following variables:
>
> x1y1 x1y2 x2y1 x2y2
>
> If I wanted to loop through these variables one possible
> solution is the
> following:
>
> local i=1
> while `i'<=2 {
> local j=1
> while `j'<=2 {
>
> {SOME STATA FUNCTION e.g tab x`i'`j'}
>
> local j=`j'+1
> }
> local i=`i'+1
> }
>
> This works fine. My problem is what do when there is an additional
> variable, such as x3y1.
>
> In this cases, I need to add a line or something to tell STATA to stop
> the loop after it processes x3y1 and not to look to do x3y2 which
> doesn't exist. I am a bit stuck here and I was hoping you
> might be able
> to give me some pointers here. Any solutions come to mind?
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