Nick wrote:
> -estout- as available from SSC requires Stata 8.2.
> This is apparent from looking at the code.
>
> That said, I am puzzled at the message you report.
> It is difficult to see how you got -estout- even
> to start given your use of an out-of-date version
> of Stata.
>
> No doubt Ben Jann will be able to elucidate when
> he comes on-line.
Stata 7 fails loading estout.ado because -estout- uses
Stata 8 syntax.
[The "unrecognized command: DMarker" message is
displayed because in estout's code the word "end"
appears before a line containing "DMarker...". Stata
7 thinks that "end" ends the definition -estout- and
tries to execute the -DMarker-.]
I think, this raises a general problem:
The -estout- code contains the command -version 8.2-
which is intended to ensure compatibility with future
versions Stata and, moreover, to tell users of older
versions that -estout- cannot be executed on their
system. However, the program cannot be loaded in
Stata 7 in the first place (because of syntax
conflicts) and, thus, the -version 8.2- command is
not executed at all.
A solution to the problem would be to additionally
place a version statement outside the -program define-
environment in estout.ado. Currently, the irst few lines
of estout.ado are:
===================
*! version 2.15, Ben Jann, 14feb2005
program define estout, rclass
version 8.2
syntax [anything] [using] [ , ///
Cells(string asis) ///
Drop(passthru) ///
...
===================
Stata 7 only produces a meaningful error message
("version 8.2 not supported") if the code would
be:
===================
*! version 2.15, Ben Jann, 14feb2005
version 8.2
program define estout, rclass
version 8.2
syntax [anything] [using] [ , ///
Cells(string asis) ///
Drop(passthru) ///
...
===================
(Note that the version 8.2 caller after -program
define- is still necessary, because the first
-version- command is only executed while reading
estout.ado, but not when executing -estout-!)
Thus, my question is: Should it be a general
advice for programmers not only to include the
-version- command inside the program definitions
(see U[21.11.1 Version]), but also to include the
-version- command at the very beginning of an
ado-file? Or would this cause some other problem?
ben
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