First off, it seems you are using Windows.
Windows, following DOS, uses the backslash \
as a separator here, as you know, but that was
a bad idea on the part of Microsoft,
given its common use elsewhere in computing
as an escape character.
As you are sensing that your Stata code can be
made more compact, a price for doing that
more easily is to use / instead. Stata will
understand what you mean and translate for
the sake of your operating system. This isn't
compulsory, but it will make your life
easier. A section somewhere in [U] explains
how the backslash can bite (a mixed metaphor,
but let it stand).
In your case you can loop like this. Your
code, forward-looking, is
do d:/do/new_reg.txt
do d:/do/enc_reg.txt
do d:/do/pac_reg.txt
do d:/do/mac_reg.txt
and this could become
foreach f in new enc pac mac {
do d:/do/`f'_reg.txt
}
which is not much of a saving here,
but there will be less trivial examples
in your files.
The programming language here is
naturally Stata. [P] is the manual,
but -foreach- and -forvalues- have
been discussed in the Stata Journal
and elsewhere. A
. search foreach
may suggest that only one person
is much interested in this territory,
but that's an illusion.
[P] foreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loop over items
(help foreach)
FAQ . . . . . . . . . Counting distinct strings across a set of variables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
7/04 How do I count the number of distinct strings
across a set of variables?
http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/data/distinctstrings.html
FAQ . . . . . . . . . . Making foreach go through all values of a variable
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
4/03 Is there a way to tell Stata to try all values of a
particular variable in a foreach statement without
specifying them?
http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/data/foreach.html
FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting nice time of day labels on a graph
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
9/03 How can I get "nice" time of day labels on a graph?
http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/graphics/nicetime.html
Example . . . . Stata learning module: Working across variables using foreach
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UCLA Academic Technology Services
8/03 http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/modules/acrossvars.htm
SJ-3-2 pr0009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaking Stata: Problems with lists
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
Q2/03 SJ 3(2):185--202 (no commands)
discusses ways of working through lists held in macros
SJ-3-1 pr0008 Speaking Stata: On structure & shape: the case of mult. resp.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox & U. Kohler
Q1/03 SJ 3(1):81--99 (no commands)
discussion of data manipulations for multiple response data
SJ-2-2 pr0005 . . . . . . Speaking Stata: How to face lists with fortitude
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
Q2/02 SJ 2(2):202--222 (no commands)
demonstrates the usefulness of for, foreach, forvalues, and
local macros for interactive (non programming) tasks
SJ-1-1 pr0003 . . . Speaking Stata: How to repeat yourself without going mad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
Q4/01 SJ 1(1):86--97 (no commands)
describes systematic ways of repeating the same or similar
operations
Nick
[email protected]
Joe Crespo
> This is a question about running a loop.
>
> I run identical opperations on several data files containing the same
> variables but representing different geographical markets
> i.e., - US states
> or census regions. As I go through each region the only text
> in the program
> that changes is the text that identifies that region.
>
> My question is whether I can replace a serious of commands that are
> identical except for a census abreviation which is embedded
> somewhere in the
> program, with a single command and a loop that replaces the census
> abreviation anywhere it is found in the program.
>
> For example, can I replace the following lines of commands
> with a single
> line and a loop?
> _____________________________
>
> do d:\do\new_reg.txt
> do d:\do\enc_reg.txt
> do d:\do\pac_reg.txt
> do d:\do\mac_reg.txt
> _________________________
>
> THanks for any advice. Also if anybody can point to a manual
> that provides
> advice on the relevant programming language I'd be much obliged.
*
* 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/
