Michael,
Thank you for replying to my post. Below is an actual copy of my Stata
results window, after the do-file with the fs command rolled to the
end without executing. Remember that we started here:
. ***************** CALL DO-FILES SPECIFIC TO EACH ${paper} HERE
.
. fs prototype/${paper}/*.do
> local dofiles=r(files)
>
> foreach k of local dofiles {
> do "prototype/${paper}/`k'"
> }
>
> clear
> di "goodbye"
end of do-file
So I went to the command window and copied the fs line into it, as shown below:
. fs prototype/${paper}/*.do
dna_step1_target.do dna_step3_report1.do dna_step5_report2.do
dna_step2_snapshot1.do dna_step4_snapshot2.do
Clearly, it worked. Next, I declared the local eenie:
. local eenie r(files)
Then I checked to see that it showed what I thought it would:
. di `eenie'
"dna_step1_target.do" "dna_step2_snapshot1.do" "dna_step3_report1.do"
"dna_step4_snapshot2.do" "dna_step5_rep
> ort2.do"
And it did, but look:
. local x: word count `eenie'
. di `x'
1
Even though `eenie' seems to have five distinct words delimited by
quotes, it only has one. The quotes are somehow embedded in it. So I
tried evaluating the r(files) expression, like in `meenie' below:
. local meenie=r(files)
. di `meenie'
dna_step1_target.dodna_step2_snapshot1.dodna_step3_report1.dodna_step4_snapshot2.dodna_step5_report2.do
Now the thing clearly looks like it's one uninterrupted word, but it's
not. Look:
. local y: word count `meenie'
. di `y'
5
So with the risk that it would truncate the content of the ${paper}
folder to 244 characters, using the = sign looked like a good idea at
the time. Now I will move on to trying out Joseph Coveney's syntax and
see how that works. The 244 character limitation is not binding now,
but it might be in the future. I want to avoid it if I can. This reply
was just for the entertainment of the interested parties. I think it's
at least curious how Stata looks like it does one thing, and does
another.
Thanks again to all,
Gabi
On Feb 16, 2008 4:48 PM, Michael Blasnik <[email protected]> wrote:
> ...
>
> I hope you realize that your line
>
> local dofiles r(files)
>
> simply places the text string "r(files)" into the local macro dofiles. That is
> why word count comes up with one word. You need to expand the local macro when
> assigning it to dofiles, like this:
>
> local dofiles `r(files)'
>
> If you use the equals sign, then the list will be truncated at 244 characters.
> Without the equals sign it is nearly limitless.
>
> Michael Blasnik
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> "Gabi Huiber" wrote:
> >If you do
> >
> > local dofiles r(files)
> >
> > you get a string of all their names in a single word. I checked with
> > word count `dofiles'. That, of course, defeats the foreach loop. It's
> > bizarre, because this single-word string shows the do-file names
> > neatly delimited with spaces, whereas if you do
> >
> > local dofiles=r(files)
> >
> > like I did, the do-file names in that folder look like they're all
> > strung together as in file1.dofile2.do[...] yet the local `dofiles'
> > does have five distinct words, one for each do-file, as it should. Try
> > it with one of your do-file directories to see what I mean. Of course
> > running the foreach loop directly off the `r(files)' local fixes the
> > problem, but it's still a strange one, don't you think?
>
>
> *
> * 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:
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