st: New -factext-, -factmerg-, -factref- and -harmby- packages on SSC

[Roger Newson <roger.newson@kcl.ac.uk>]

Dear All

Thanks to Kit Baum, there is a new version of the -factext- package, and 
new packages -factmerg-, -factref- and -harmby-, downloadable from SSC. In 
Stata, use the -ssc- command to find out more. The -factext-, -factmerg-, 
-factref- and -harmby- packages are described as below on my website.

The -factext-, -factmerg- and -factref- packages were previously components 
one package -factext-, as they tend to be used together, although they have 
always worked independently of each other and even had separate help files. 
They are used for generating and handling categorical variables (factors) 
in output data sets created by -parmest-, -parmby-, -xcontract- and 
-xcollapse- (also downloadable from SSC). The programs are as brefore, but 
the help files have been modified slightly. The old -factext- package was 
split into its components so that the components can evolve independently 
in future, with the option of making some components obsolete while others 
get updated to Stata 8, 9 etc.

The -harmby- package is a minor program, used mostly in the processing of 
outputs from -parmby- (part of the -parmest- package downloadable from 
SSC). It is sometimes useful if new observations are inserted into a 
dataset using the official Stata -merge- command and/or the -ingap- package 
(also downloadable from SSC).

More information about the various packages mentioned above, and how they 
can be used together to create plots and tables of results, can be found in 
Newson (2003), which can be downloaded as a pre-publication draft from my 
website at
http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/
using either a browser or the Stata -net- command.

Best wishes

Roger

References

Newson R. Confidence intervals and p-values for delivery to the end user. 
The Stata Journal 2003; 3(3): 245-269.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
package factext from http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/stata7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TITLE
      factext: Extract factor values from a label variable created by parmest

DESCRIPTION/AUTHOR(S)
      factext is used to extract factors (categorical variables) from a
      label variable in an output data set created by the parmest package.
      The parmest package creates a data set with 1 obs per estimated 
parameter
      and data on the parameter estimates, confidence limits, P-values, and
      (optionally) also a variable named label, containing the variable 
label for
      the X-variable corresponding to the parameter. If the X-variable is 
a dummy
      variable created by xi, tabulate or John Hendrickx's desmat package, 
then the
      value of label will be of the form "varname==value", where varname is a
      variable name and value is a numeric or string  value. factext uses this
      information to create new factors (categorical variables) with the 
specified
      varnames and values. These new variables can then be used to produce 
tables
      and/or plots. factext can be used together with the descsave 
package, also
      downloadable from SSC or from this website.

      Author: Roger Newson
      Distribution-Date: 18march2004
      Stata-Version: 7

INSTALLATION FILES                                  (click here to install)
      factext.ado
      factext.hlp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(click here to return to the previous screen)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
package factmerg from http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/stata7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TITLE
      factmerg: Merge a list of factors to create string variables

DESCRIPTION/AUTHOR(S)
      factmerg inputs a list of factors and outputs up to 3 string variables,
      containing, in each observation, the name, variable label and value,
      respectively, of the first factor in the list with a nonmissing value in
      that observation. These string variables can be used in creating row 
labels
      for output tables and/or plots, possibly using the sencode package. 
The input
      factors are usually either created in a parmest or parmby output 
data set by
      using the factext package, or are in a data set created by concatenating
      multiple xcontract output data sets using dsconcat. The sencode, 
parmest,
      factext, xcontract and dsconcat packages are downloadable from SSC 
or from
      this website.

      Author: Roger Newson
      Distribution-Date: 18march2004
      Stata-Version: 7

INSTALLATION FILES                                  (click here to install)
      factmerg.ado
      factmerg.hlp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(click here to return to the previous screen)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
package factref from http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/stata7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TITLE
      factref: Insert new observations with reference values for factors

DESCRIPTION/AUTHOR(S)
      factref is used with factext, descsave, parmby and parmest.  It 
takes, as
      input, a data set created by parmby or parmest, in which categorical
      variables (factors) have been created by descsave and factext. These 
factors
      are variables (numeric or string) representing categorical variables 
in the
      fitted model, represented by dummy variables such as those created 
by xi.
      factref adds to that data set a set of additional observations with 
reference
      values for these factors, copied from the omit characteristic for each
      factor. For each factor, factref creates one reference observation 
if there
      are non-missing values for the factor and there is no by-variable 
list, or
      one reference observation for each by-group where there are non-missing
      values of the factor if there is a by-variable list.  After the 
reference
      observations have been added, the user may create a plot or table of
      confidence intervals for factor effects.

      Author: Roger Newson
      Distribution-Date: 18march2004
      Stata-Version: 7

INSTALLATION FILES                                  (click here to install)
      factref.ado
      factref.hlp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(click here to return to the previous screen)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
package harmby from http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/stata7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TITLE
      harmby: Harmonize values of variables within by-groups

DESCRIPTION/AUTHOR(S)
      harmby ("harmonize within by-groups") checks that each variable in a
      varlist has no more than one value, other than the standard missing 
value,
      in each of the by-groups specified by by(), or in the whole data set, if
      by() is not specified. A standard missing value is . for a numeric
      variable, or the empty string "" for a string variable. If this 
condition
      is true, then harmby replaces all standard missing values in the 
by-group
      (or data set) by the one value that is not standard missing, if such a
      value exists, and takes no action if all values in a by-group (or 
data set)
      are standard missing.  harmby is useful if there are variables whose 
values
      should be unique within each by-group (or within the data set), and new
      observations with standard missing values for these variables have been
      added to some or all of the by-groups by merge, or by ingap, which is
      downloadable from SSC or from this website.

      Author: Roger Newson
      Distribution-Date: 03march2004
      Stata-Version: 7

INSTALLATION FILES                                  (click here to install)
      harmby.ado
      harmby.hlp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(click here to return to the previous screen)

--
Roger Newson
Lecturer in Medical Statistics
Department of Public Health Sciences
King's College London
5th Floor, Capital House
42 Weston Street
London SE1 3QD
United Kingdom

Tel: 020 7848 6648 International +44 20 7848 6648
Fax: 020 7848 6620 International +44 20 7848 6620
  or 020 7848 6605 International +44 20 7848 6605
Email: roger.newson@kcl.ac.uk
Website: http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson

Opinions expressed are those of the author, not the institution.

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