st: how do i increment a counter

["aine dooley" <acd4983@hotmail.com>]

I am finding in Stata that there does not seem to be an easy way to 
increment a counter despite countless trys and readings of the manal.

I want to do something llike the following, this is just an example:

generate byte total_sum =0

for each variable of varlist {
if age > 50
   total_sum = total_sum + age
}

Stata doesn't seem to allow the if... then construct unless it is in a 
program. Although I have written a simple program (crazy that I have to do 
this) passing arguments, I still can't get it to work.

I must be missing something.

-Annemarie

_________________________________________________________________
Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! 
http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

*
*   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/