st: how to make a string matrix

[Kit Baum <baum@bc.edu>]

sacrificial rutabaga

Along with Bill Gould's solution for using Mata to hold a "string  
matrix", also note that such a creature can be handled by using a set  
of locals:

local row1 a b c d e
local row2 f g h i j k l
local row3 m n o p
local row4 q r s t u v
local row5 w x y z

local row 3
local col 2
local element : word `col' of `row`row''
di "S[`row',`col'] is `element'"

Note that unlike standard matrices, such a 'matrix' can have a  
different number of elements per row.

Some may note the resemblance between this solution and an array of  
pointers to arrays.


Kit Baum, Boston College Economics and DIW Berlin
http://ideas.repec.org/e/pba1.html
An Introduction to Modern Econometrics Using Stata:
http://www.stata-press.com/books/imeus.html


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