Re: st: Finding the corresponding variable

[Nick Cox <njcoxstata@gmail.com>]

Your problem has several similarities with that posed by David
Ashcraft yesterday. Read the whole thread starting at

http://www.stata.com/statalist/archive/2013-04/msg00225.html

The closest (closer) date of two others is

local when = mdy(1,1,2013)

gen closest = cond(abs(datea - `when') > abs(dateb - `when'), datea, dateb)

after which you can -list- it.

Alternatively, given what you have,

gen closest = cond(var1 < var2, datea, dateb)

You need some rule for when two dates are equally close.

Notes:

1. I recommend against meaningless names such as "var1", "var2",
"var3". You put strain on yourself and anyone reading your code to
remember what they are

2. -egen, rowmin()- is all right for what you did but using the
-min()- function is simpler with just two arguments.

Nick
njcoxstata@gmail.com

On 7 April 2013 05:24, Ching Wong <ching.y.wong@student.adelaide.edu.au> wrote:

> I have TWO variables of dates, called "datea" and "dateb". I would
> like to calculate the number of days between a particular date (says,
> 1/01/2013) and the closest day either "datea" or "dateb".
>
> Firstly, I generated one variable called "var1" which is the number of
> days between the particular date and "datea" and also generated
> another variable called "var2" which is the number of days between the
> particular date and "dateb".
>
> Then I set up another variable "var3" in order to choose the minimun
> number of days between "var1" and "var2". By using the Command as
> following:
> ---> egen var3 = rowmin (var1 var2).
>
> My question is that after getting "var3", how I can list the
> corresponding "datea" or "dateb"?
> i.e. var3---> var1 or var2----> datea or dateb
*
*   For searches and help try:
*   http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
*   http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/resources/statalist-faq/
*   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/