st: reshape command with multiple variables

[Whitney Cox <wcox@parchment.com>]

I have a date set that contains the following:

Persionid	A	B	C	period
123		5	6	7	2012-01
123		7	5	2	2012-02	
123		6	3	4	2012-03
123		7	3	6	2012-04
123		8	4	7	2012-05
213		6	6	9	2012-01
213		3	3	5	2012-02
213		4	8	7	2012-04
312		7	5	6	2012-01
312		8	3	4	2012-02
312		9	4	8	2012-03

The command:       reshape wide a b c , i(personid) j(period) string

Gives me the data with the grouping of A, B, C repeated as a group from
each row for each of the periods across the row as follows:

Personid	A2012-01	B2012-01	C2012-01	A2012-02
B2012-02	C2012-02	A2012-03	B2012-03	C2012-03
A2012-04	B2012-043	C2012-04	A2012-05	B2012-05
CE2012-05	

123			5		6		7		7
5		2		6		3		4
7		3		6		8		5
7	
213			6		6		9		3
3		5
4		8		7
312			7		5		6		8
3		4		9		4		8

What I real want is all the As from across the time range, then all the Bs
then all the Cs , as shown below:


Personid	A2012-01	A2012-02	A2012-03	A2012-04
A2012-05	B2012-01	B2012-02	B2012-03	B2012-04
B2012-05	C2012-01	C2012-02	C2012-03	C2012-04
C2012-05

123			5		7		6		7
8		6		5		3		3
4		7		2		4		6
7
213			6		3				4
6		3				8
9		5				7
312			7		8		9
5		3		4
6		4		8	

How do I word the reshape command to give me the format above, where all
of the A columns are first, then the B columns, then the C columns  ?

Thanks

Whit
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