st: RE: -encode- with predetermined sorting

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

1. The value labels for an idiosyncratic -encode- need to exist in advance. Idiosyncratic just means here an encoding that -encode- would not produce by default. 

2. In your case you could define them with a single command line, which would be quicker to type and to execute than your code. 

I am guessing that your question is more about the first than the second. 

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

Impavido, Gregorio

I have the following dataset:

. list
 
      +--------+
      | a    b |
      |--------|
   1. | 10   a |
   2. | 40   b |
   3. | 30   c |
   4. | 20   d |
      +--------+

If I encode b and generate c, I get:

. list *, nolabel
 
      +-------------+
      | a    b   c  |
      |-------------|
   1. | 10   a   1  |
   2. | 40   b   2  |
   3. | 30   c   3  |
   4. | 20   d   4  |
      +-------------+

Now, I want to have a different sort order for c, say as a function of a:

. list *, nolabel
 
      +-------------+
      | a    b   c  |
      |-------------|
   1. | 10   a   1  |
   2. | 40   b   4  |
   3. | 30   c   3  |
   4. | 20   d   2  |
      +-------------+

Is there a more rapid way than the following to obtain what I want?
 
sort a
gen c = _n
forvalues i=1/4 {
	label define lblname `i' "`: di b[`i']'", add
	}
label values c lblname

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