Re: st: Preserve Variable Labels After Reshape

[David Torres <writeon4truth2@msn.com>]

Yes, sir. Exactly. Thanks. I'll play around with what you've given me here when I'm back at it tomorrow. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 19, 2012, at 9:06 PM, "Joerg Luedicke" <joerg.luedicke@gmail.com> wrote:

> If I understand you correctly, then this would be a possibility:
> 
> clear
> set obs 2
> gen id=_n
> forval i=1/2 {
>        gen x`i'=`i'
>        label var x`i' "label"
> }
> 
> local lab : var lab x1
> reshape long x, i(id) j(year)
> label var x `lab'
> 
> In this example, the variable labels are the same for x1 and x2, so we
> can store the label in a local macro and assign it to the one
> resulting variable after the reshape. Is that what you mean?
> 
> Joerg
> 
> On Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 9:45 PM, David Torres <writeon4truth2@msn.com> wrote:
>> Joerg,
>> 
>> What I mean to preserve is the description of the variable stub, in your example the x.  x1 and x2 could both, for instance, be labeled as, let us say, "the x factor."  When I reshape from wide to long, the description of the variable disappears.  I want to simply keep that description, which I thought was called the variable label.
>> 
>> From my own file:  I have variables called campus08 campus09 campus10.  The description for these variables is the same in all three years (the two-digit number after the variable stub): "Campus ID Where Student Attended School."  When I reshape from wide to long, I now have one variable, campus, that has no description.  How can I keep the label "Campus ID Where Student Attended School"?
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> 
>> ----------------------------------------
>>> Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:24:41 -0500
>>> Subject: Re: st: Preserve Variable Labels After Reshape
>>> From: joerg.luedicke@gmail.com
>>> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
>>> 
>>> Say we have 2 observations and 2 variables in wide format which we
>>> would like to reshape long.
>>> 
>>> The data in wide format would look like:
>>> 
>>> clear
>>> set obs 2
>>> gen id=_n
>>> forval i=1/2 {
>>> gen x`i'=`i'
>>> label var x`i' "label `i'"
>>> }
>>> 
>>> . li
>>> 
>>> +--------------+
>>> | id x1 x2 |
>>> |--------------|
>>> 1. | 1 1 2 |
>>> 2. | 2 1 2 |
>>> +--------------+
>>> 
>>> Both variables x1 and x2 are labeled. Now we reshape:
>>> 
>>> reshape long x, i(id) j(year)
>>> 
>>> and get:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> . li
>>> 
>>> +---------------+
>>> | id year x |
>>> |---------------|
>>> 1. | 1 1 1 |
>>> 2. | 1 2 2 |
>>> 3. | 2 1 1 |
>>> 4. | 2 2 2 |
>>> +---------------+
>>> 
>>> Where exactly would you want the original labels to go? What was
>>> stored in two variables before is now stored in one variable.
>>> 
>>> Joerg
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 9:13 PM, David Torres <writeon4truth2@msn.com> wrote:
>>>> The 150 variables I have, however, are the same in each of five files, each representing a different year. The labels are the same. I am simple trying to keep those labels after a reshape. I fail to see how in my case this doesn't make sense.
>>>> 
>>>> Cheers
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>> On Dec 19, 2012, at 8:07 PM, "Joerg Luedicke" <joerg.luedicke@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> I agree with Nick that this makes no sense. Say you reshape your 150
>>>>> variables such that you have only one variable in long format, then
>>>>> you have only one variable for which you can use one label.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Joerg
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 8:58 PM, David Torres <writeon4truth2@msn.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Okay, is there a way to save the labels and reinsert them after reshape? I'm not too keen on having to retype labels for 150 variables.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Dec 19, 2012, at 7:24 PM, "Nick Cox" <njcoxstata@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> How could they be preserved? A -reshape- is not a one-to-one mapping.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 1:16 AM, David Torres <writeon4truth2@msn.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> I'm reshaping some data from wide to long and would like to preserve my variable labels. Does anyone know an easy way to do this?
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> I've already tried the user-written commands -longshape-, -reshape7-, and -reshape8-. My variable labels were not preserved.
>>>>>>> *
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