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st: RE: levels for varlist?


From   "Nick Cox" <[email protected]>
To   <[email protected]>
Subject   st: RE: levels for varlist?
Date   Tue, 23 Sep 2003 16:01:33 +0100

Danielle H. Ferry
> 
> Is there a command similar to -levels- that works across a varlist?
> Specifically, suppose I have the variables highrisk1, 
> highrisk2, lowrisk1,
> lowrisk2, lowrisk3. I want to write a program with a loop that does
> something when highrisk==1, then when highrisk2==1, then 
> when lowrisk1==1,
> then when lowrisk2==1, and finally when lowrisk3==1. For example:
> 
> -----------------------------
> program define example
> 
>     forval i = 1(1)2 {
>      ta year if `1'`i'==1
>     }
> 
> end
> 
> example highrisk
> example lowrisk
> -----------------------------
> 
> Since there are 2 highrisk variables and 3 lowrisk 
> variables, the way I've
> written it, this will miss tabulating when lowrisk3==1. If 
> I make the second
> line: "forval i = 1(1)3 {" then Stata will object when it gets to
> "highrisk3==1" since highrisk3 doesn't exist. Something 
> similar to -levels-
> would enable Stata to figure out what the max on `i' should be.
> 

Two quick answers:

1. Yes, but 

2. You don't need one for this problem, 
for which other approaches are better. 

In more detail, 

2. 

foreach v of var highrisk* lowrisk* { 
	tab year if `v' == 1 
} 

That is, you let -foreach- unpack the varlist 
with which it is supplied. 

(Perhaps there is a neater wildcard, e.g. *risk*) 

1. You could do this 

unab varlist : highrisk* lowrisk* 

foreach v of local varlist { 
	tab year if `v' == 1 
} 

No apparent advantages here, but often useful 
elsewhere. 

Similarly, you could do this 

ds highrisk* lowrisk* 

foreach v in `r(varlist)' { 
	tab year if `v' == 1 
} 

Similar comment. Note especially 
various filters which can be added 
to -ds-. (Update 17 June 2003) 
 
Nick 
[email protected] 

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