Re: st: Race conditions in Stata do files?

[David Kantor <dkantor@jhu.edu>]

At 11:32 AM 1/13/2004 -0800, Daniel Sabath wrote:
> I have a question that is a little odd and geeky.
>
> If I have a master do file which calls a bunch of other do files, at what
> point are those subsidiary do files read into memory?
>
> Assume
> Master.do -> proc1.do
>           -> proc2.do
>           -> proc3.do
>
> Assume that proc2.do takes some time to process. Are proc1-3 read into
> memory at the time that master.do is run or are they loaded as they are
> called in order. In other words is it possible to start master.do, edit
> proc3.do before it is called and have the changes take effect when it is
> called?
>
> Thanks
>
> Dan
I've never tried it, but it seems to me that that will work -- that you can 
edit proc3.do before it is called and have the changes take effect when it 
is called.

I would assume that master.do is read and executed in sequence, and that it 
will invoke (and read) proc3 at the time it gets to it.

You might want to runs some tests, putting -sleep- or -pause- into 
master.do.  I'd like to know what the results are.

(The behavior in question contrasts with programs, which are loaded at once 
and then executed later. But if a program invokes a do-file, then that 
do-file should be opened up at the time that the executing program gets to 
that point.  So it still should behave as you expected.  But if a program 
or do file invokes an already-loaded program, then that is a different matter.)

-- David

David Kantor
Institute for Policy Studies
Johns Hopkins University
dkantor@jhu.edu
410-516-5404

*
*   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/