Re: st: check if string or numeric

["Martin Weiss" <martin.weiss1@gmx.de>]

Or take a look at: http://www.stata-journal.com/article.html?article=dm0040

HTH
Martin
_______________________
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Goldstein" <richgold@ix.netcom.com>
To: <statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 10:49 PM
Subject: Re: st: check if string or numeric



> check the help file for -ds-
>
> Rich
>
> Jacob Wegelin wrote:
> > I would like to check for type of variable (string, numeric, etc) in a 
> > program, and then take action on the basis of the type. For instance, if 
> > it's string, I encode it; else I leave it as is.
> >
> > The following klugey program seems to solve the problem *part of the 
> > time*. But certainly there is a more elegant way?
> >
> > capture program drop checkIfString
> > program define checkIfString, rclass
> >     di "check if `1' is string or numeric"
> >     quietly tabulate `1'
> >     local NobsRegardlessOfStringOrNumeric=r(N)
> >     quietly summarize `1'
> >     local NobsOnlyIfNumeric=r(N)
> >     di "NobsRegardlessOfStringOrNumeric: 
> > `NobsRegardlessOfStringOrNumeric' and NobsOnlyIfNumeric: 
> > `NobsOnlyIfNumeric'"
> >
> >     if (`NobsRegardlessOfStringOrNumeric'>0) & ( 
> > `NobsRegardlessOfStringOrNumeric'  == `NobsOnlyIfNumeric' ) {
> >             return local type="numeric"
> >         }
> >
> >     else {
> >
> >         if (`NobsRegardlessOfStringOrNumeric'>0) & ( 
> > `NobsOnlyIfNumeric'==0 ) {
> >                 return local type="string"
> >             }
> >
> >     else {
> >             return local type="not sure"
> >             }
> >
> >     }
> > end
> >
> > clear
> > set obs 5
> > gen x=_n
> > gen y="a"
> > gen z=.
> > gen w=""
> >
> > list
> >
> > checkIfString x
> > return list
> > checkIfString y
> > return list
> > checkIfString z
> > return list
> > checkIfString w
> > return list
> >
> >
> > This seems like a FAQ but I haven't found the answer yet on the Web.
> >
> > Thanks for any tips
> >
> > Jake
> >
> > Jacob A. Wegelin
> > jwegelin@vcu.edu Assistant Professor
> > Department of Biostatistics
> > Virginia Commonwealth University
> > 730 East Broad Street Room 3006
> > P. O. Box 980032
> > Richmond VA 23298-0032
> > U.S.A. http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jwegelin
> *
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