st: RE: nl program conversion from Stata 8 to 9 or 10 including if statements

["Nick Cox" <n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk>]

You make -if- compulsory and then ignore it. I classify that as a bug, but I doubt it is what is being complained about. 

I am not up to speed with how to write newstyle -nl- programs, but these lines look 
suspect: 

            return local eq "`y'=({b2=4.7}+{b3=0.1}*`x2')" if `x1'==1
            return local eq "`y'=({b2}+{b3}*`x2'+1)"  if `x1'==0

You need perhaps 

           return local eq "`y'= ///
cond(`x1' == 1, ({b2=4.7}+{b3=0.1}*`x2'), ({b2}+{b3}*`x2'+1))

Nick 
n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk 

Holland, Margaret

I am trying to convert an nl program from Stata 8 syntax to the Stata 9+ syntax. (I know how to include "version 8" to allow the Stata 8 program to run in Stata 9, but I want to learn the new syntax to be able to teach to the newest version.)

I have been successful in running a very basic program, but I want to make it a little more complicated with "if" statements, as shown below in Stata 8 format (this one does run). When I try to convert to Stata 9 syntax, I'm not sure how to make the "if" statements work. The code below for Stata 9 does not run. Any suggestions appreciated.

/*** Stata 8 code: this version runs ***/
program drop _all
clear
use "Q:\temp.dta", clear
set matsize 800 
version 8
program nlprog
version 8

      if "`1'" == "?" {
            global S_1 "a0 a1 c0"
            global a0=4.7                 /* intercept for younger females */
            global a1=.1                  /* slope for younger females */                 
            global c0=10                  /* intercept for younger males */
            exit
      }
            replace `1'=($a0+$a1*Age) if Gender==1
            replace `1'=($c0+$a1*Age) if Gender==0
end

nl prog DCogFunction

 
/*** Stata 9 code: this gives the following error when run
/*** nlprogmlh returned 198
/*** verify that nlprogmlh is a substitutable expression program
/*** and that you have specified all options that it requires
***/
program drop _all
clear
use "Q:\temp.dta", clear
set matsize 800 
program nlprogmlh, rclass
version 9
      syntax varlist(min=3 max=3) if
                 local y : word 1 of `varlist'
                 local x1 : word 2 of `varlist'
                 local x2 : word 3 of `varlist'
            return local eq "`y'=({b2=4.7}+{b3=0.1}*`x2')" if `x1'==1
            return local eq "`y'=({b2}+{b3}*`x2'+1)"  if `x1'==0
end

nl progmlh: DCogFunction Gender Age
 

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