st: filling in a panel

["Alexander Nervedi" <alexnerdy@hotmail.com>]

Hi guys,


So i have this survey data that is not balanced and i have defined as a 
panel using

. tsset id time

the problem is that there are like 5 or 6 other variables that are key 
identifiers that need to be used in other parts of the analysis such as 
seasons, housecodes, etc. The missingness for the numeric variables I 
managed to fix using the lead and foreward time series operators.

what i cant fix is the alphanumeric housecode the lead/foreward operators 
dont seem to like. I keep getting a type mismatch error when i do

replace hcode = L1.hcode if time > 1 & time < 4 /*there are 3 time periods*/

I was wondering if there is any cool way of filling in the grid for string 
type variables in this kind of a setting.

mucho gusto,
Alnerdy

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