RE: st: Testing & modifying ado file without reloading data set

[n j cox <n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk>]

The first error message tells you exactly what
Stata thinks the problem is, namely that

the file:            progtest.ado

must define

the program:         progtest

by a line

program progtest

or

program define progtest

at the head of the ado file. As you don't show
us the file, I can't comment further.

I find it very difficult to believe
that rebooting was necessary, although it
should have been sufficient to fix this problem.

Also, there is no reason to distrust -discard-.
I have used it many thousand times without
problem. -program drop- is really the
same solution: -discard- merely does more.

I can't follow the rest. I don't think
you need any extra commands other than
those you mention.

Nick
n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk

barleywater

Thanks to Rich Goldstein, Thomas Steichen and Nick Cox for their inputs.

Rich's suggestion -discard- from the Stata's command line: did something 
(I don't know what in my context, though I know what -discard- supposed 
to do from the manual), but the next time (right after -discard-) I 
invoke my ado, I received the following message:

.progtest var1 var2 var3
unrecognized command: progtest not defined by progtest.ado
r(199);

and thereafter, I was not able to invoke the said ado file until I 
rebooted my computer. Not even clear or exiting and restarting new Stata 
session allowed me to invoke the ado file again, each time giving me the 
same error message; following this, I have not used -discard-.

Thomas' suggestion of -program drop adoname- from the command line 
worked. I tried this before asking the listers albeit by inserting it on 
top of the line of the ado routine as -capture program drop adoname- 
instead of using it on the command line. Since the ado is loaded into 
the memory, this obviously explained why my attempt did not work.

Which brings me to the next point: is there a temporary command that I 
can insert top or bottom of the line of my ado routines to say something 
like -clear this version of ado from the memory- jsut for temporary use 
in this testing period? I ask this for my own education. I started with 
having to -clear- and reload my data set to test my ado, this has been 
shortened by -program drop adoname- courtesy of Thomas's suggestion so 
anything is a bonus now but would be appreciated.
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