st: Interesting (and frustrating) log problem

[Fred Wolfe <fwolfe@arthritis-research.org>]

I have encountered an unexpected problem within a Stata log.

I build a foreach loop, thusly:

   local counter 0
   foreach name in solpro1 solpro2 solpro3 solpro4 solpro5 {
      local counter = `counter' + 1
      use `name', clear
      // fix sas transfer file - solas naming problem
         rename totinco totincom
         rename pain_sc pain_sca
         rename haq_dis haq_disa
      cap drop _merge
      dmerge spatkey using crproduct3, unique
      keep if _merge == 3

   Many commands including saving 6 files follow

   loop closes

The log put in the following output:

.    foreach name in solpro1 solpro2 solpro3 solpro4 solpro5 {
  2.       local counter = `counter' + 1
  3.       use `name', clear
  4.       // fix sas transfer file - solas naming problem
.          rename totinco totincom
  5.          rename pain_sc pain_sca
  6.          rename haq_dis haq_disa
  7.       cap drop _merge
  8.       dmerge spatkey using crproduct3, unique
  9.       keep if _merge == 3
 10.
.
. //  section on predicting income among workers
.
.    gen college = edcat==4
 11.    label variable college "College education"
 12.

<snip>

238.    if `counter' == 1 {
239.       save masterproduct3, replace
240.    }
241.    save m`name', replace
242. }
(253 observations deleted)
(780 real changes made)
(81 real changes made)
(11 real changes made)
(6396 missing values generated)
(6396 missing values generated)
(6396 missing values generated)
(6396 missing values generated)

Fitting constant-only model:

<much more follows>

Notice that it counts to 242, displays each command and output.

At that point the numbers stop, the program continues but displays no 
command, such that I can't figure out what command called the regression 
analyses. And I think the results that I am getting may be wrong. The Ns 
appear to be inappropriate.

I looked in -help limits- '244' is the max length of a string expression. 
Is this the problem? In any event, if it is Stata should stop or give an error.

This is very strange behavior.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Fred


*
*   For searches and help try:
*   http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
*   http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
*   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/