thanks to Ben Jann. You give an elegant solution.
---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 22:33:08 +0200
>From: "Ben Jann" <ben.jann@soz.gess.ethz.ch>
>Subject: RE: st: mata function : coding optional argument
>To: <statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu>
>
>Depending on the context, you could code something like
>
> transmorphic matrix chak(
> real colvector dim1,
> real colvector dim2,
> | real colvector pop ,
> real scalar b)
> {
> pointer scalar ppop
>
> if (args()<3 | pop==.) ppop = &J(rows(dim1),1,1)
> else ppop = &pop
>
> ... code using *ppop instead of pop ...
> }
>
>This allows the user to type
>
> : chak(dim1, dim2, ., b)
>
>This solution however assumes that pop=. is not a
>meaningful input to chak().
>ben
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-
>> statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of U.A.QU.AP
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 9:34 PM
>> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
>> Subject: Re: st: mata function : coding optional argument
>>
>> That is, there is no disponible solution of such problem.
>> AbdelRahmen
>>
>> ---- Original message ----
>> >Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:10:20 -0500
>> >From: wgould@stata.com (William Gould, Stata)
>> >Subject: Re: st: mata function : coding optional argument
>> >To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
>> >
>> >AbdelRahmen El Lahga <uaquap@gnet.tn> writes,
>> >
>> >> I'm writing a mata function say:
>> >>
>> >> transmorphic matrix chak(real colvector dim1,
>> >> real colvector dim2,
>> >> | real colvector pop , real
>> scalar b)
>> >> {......}
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> in which "pop" and the scalar "b" are optional arguments as
>> >> you can see above
>> >>
>> >> My question is how to code the optional arguments. I
want that
>> >> if user dont specifies the vector "pop" mata must
replace it
>> >> by a vector of ones and similary for b.
>> >> Following the help my solution was
>> >>
>> >> nb_arg=args()
>> >> if (nb_arg<3) pop=J(rows(dim1),1,1)
>> >> if (nb_arg<4) b=1
>> >>
>> >> but this solution don't allow the user to specifies the
>> >> scalar b and omit the 3rd argument pop
>> >
>> >What AbdelRahmen has coded is exactly right, and Abdel is
>> also right
>> >that user can omit the third and fourth arguments, or the
>> fourth, but
>> >not just the third. Mata's arguments are positional, and
>> positional
>> >means that if you specify 3 argments, they are the first,
>> second, and
>> >third, not the first, second, and fourth.
>> >
>> >-- Bill
>> >wgould@stata.com
>> >*
>> >* 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/
>> *
>> * 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/
>
>*
>* 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/
*
* 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/
