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Dirk:
A couple of issues here.
#1 Realize that there is already a program -test- in Stata, so you need to either change the name or -drop program- test before running your code.
#2 When you ask Stata to capture the real number in ci(99.9), it captures the real number "99.90000000000001", not "99.9", which is what the -set level- command doesn't like, so it give you the error. See the results of running your program with -set trace on- below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------- begin test ---
- syntax [, ci(real 95)]
- set level `ci'
= set level 99.90000000000001
level() can have at most two digits after the decimal point
------------------------------------------------------------------------- end test ---
So, you need to round `ci' before passing it to the -set level- command. I'm not a Stata programmer, so I don't know if there are better ways of doing this in a program, but here's one way that worked for me (NOTE: I changed your program to "test22" to avoid issues I mentioned in #1 above):
***************
clear
sysuse auto
* --------------------------
cap program drop test22
program define test22
syntax [, ci(real 95)]
di "before rounding: " "`ci'"
local ci2 : display round(`ci', .01)
local ci = "`ci2'"
di "after rounding: " "`ci'"
set level `ci'
end
* --------------------------
* --------------------------
test22, ci(99.99)
* --------------------------
***************
#3 Finally, the -syntax- help file indicates that there is already a pre-built option in there for grabbing the confidence level. There might be other reasons that you want to capture it in the `ci' macro, but if not, you might try substituting in the -ci(cilevel)- option:
****************
clear
sysuse auto
* --------------------------
cap program drop test22
program define test22
syntax [, ci(cilevel)]
set level `ci'
di "`ci'"
end
* --------------------------
* --------------------------
test22, ci(99.9)
* --------------------------
******************
~ Eric
__
Eric A. Booth
Public Policy Research Institute
Texas A&M University
[email protected]
Office: +979.845.6754
On Dec 31, 2009, at 6:46 PM, Dirk Enzmann wrote:
> Why does the following program not work as intended?
>
> * --------------------------
> program define test
> syntax [, ci(real 95)]
> set level `ci'
> end
> * --------------------------
>
> It is an example of a program that allows the optional argument "ci" to specify the confidence level (the default should be 95). It works as intended as long as I don't specify "ci" with digits after the decimal point. But if I do, for example
>
> * --------------------------
> test, ci(99.9)
> * --------------------------
>
> I receive the error message "level() can have at most two digits after the decimal point". What am I doing wrong, i.e. how can I avoid this problem?
>
> ***************************
> Dirk Enzmann
> [email protected]
> *
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*
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