Re: st: graphing median values against time

[Nick Cox <njcoxstata@gmail.com>]

I'd check for strange characters. Copy your command line into a string
variable and look for unusual ASCII characters with -charlist- (SSC)
or any alternative of your choice.
Nick
njcoxstata@gmail.com


On 9 April 2014 14:25, Donald Spady <dspady@ualberta.ca> wrote:
> Tim
>   After digesting your and Nick's advice I have used the lgraph command to good effect; however I have one problem.  If I write:
> foreach name in "cumten" "cumswol" {
> igraph `name' following if visspell !=. & recnum == 1, by(aborig) label(0 3 9 15, lab size(tiny)) stat(mean) title("Mean `name' (Median:nonFN:Navy; FN:Gold)",size(small)) label(#10) also collapse((median) median = `name') addplot(line median following if aborig == 0, lcolor(dknavy) clwidth(thick)|| line median following if aborig == 1)
> }
>
> everything works fine and I get pretty pictures.
>
> BUT if I write:
> foreach name in "cumten" "cumswol" {
> lgraph `name' following if visspell !=. & recnum == 1, by(aborig) label(0 3 9 15, lab size(tiny)) stat(mean) title("Mean `name' (Median:nonFN:Navy; FN:Gold)",size(small)) label(#10) also collapse((median) median = `name') addplot(line median following if aborig == 0, lcolor(dknavy) clwidth(thick)|| line median following if aborig == 1, lcolor(black))
> }
> The only change is the addition of lcolor(black) at the end of the command.
>
> I get the message:
>         invalid 'title'
>         r(198)
>
> Why.  And how do I fix it.
>
> Many thanks.
> Don
>
> On Mar 30, 2014, at 8:43 PM, Timothy Mak <tshmak@hku.hk> wrote:
>
>> <>
>> Thanks Nick very much for helping to answer my question.
>>
>> To plot more than one summary statistics is a bit difficult, and you do have to use the -addplot- and the -alsocollapse- options. If you hadn't specified -by(aborig)-, then Nick's syntax would be almost right, except that you don't need the -if bvisittm1N- in the end, i.e. -addplot(line median bvisittm1N)- would do. However, because you have specified -by(aborig)-, you really need to do:
>>
>> addplot(line median bvisittm1N if aborig == 1 || line median bvisittm1N if aborig == 2)
>>
>> supposing your variable aborig has 2 levels (1,2).
>>
>> To understand the use of the -addplot- and the -alsocollapse- option a bit more, you may want to use the -nopreserve- option. This gives you the dataset that -lgraph- actually uses to plot your graph. Also, have a look at the macros `r(command)' and `r(options)'. This gives you the -twoway- syntax that lgraph uses on the collapsed data. Be sure to use command double quotes though when you display the macros, i.e.:
>>
>> di `"`r(command)'"'
>> di `"`r(options)'"'
>>
>> I hope that helps.
>>
>> Tim
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Nick Cox
>> Sent: 31 March 2014 08:38
>> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
>> Subject: Re: st: graphing median values against time
>>
>> You *must* specify a -twoway- subcommand, not -lgraph-, in the
>> -addplot()- call. This is documented in the help for -addplot option-.
>>
>> I doubt very much that giving the same variable names as in the main
>> call will do what you want.
>>
>> My second guess is that you need something more like
>>
>> alsocollapse((median) median=totend28)
>> addplot(line median bvisittm1N if bvisittm1N)
>>
>> Nick
>> njcoxstata@gmail.com
>>
>>
>> On 31 March 2014 01:29, Donald Spady <dspady@ualberta.ca> wrote:
>>> Nick
>>> I had tried various combinations of that command and could not get it to work.
>>>
>>>  here is my command
>>> .lgraph tottend28  bvisittm1N if bvisittm1N < 55, by(aborig) xlabel(0(3)54) stat(mean)  alsocollapse((median)) addplot(lgraph tottend28  bvisittm1N if bvisittm1N <55, by(aborig))
>>>
>>> It doesn't work.  I get the error
>>> lgraph is not a twoway plot type
>>> r(198);
>>>
>>> Don
>>> On Mar 30, 2014, at 5:14 PM, Nick Cox <njcoxstata@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Timothy explains how to do that in the help.
>>>>
>>>>   addplot(plot) This allows additional twoway plots to be plotted.
>>>> See addplot_option. Note that
>>>>       because lgraph collapses the data before plotting in twoway,
>>>> plots given in addplot(plot)
>>>>       should also refer to the collapsed data. Specify in
>>>> alsocollapse(clist) any additional data
>>>>       that need to be collapsed.
>>>>
>>>> So, if you want median as well as mean you must specify
>>>>
>>>> alsocollapse(median) addplot(<whatever>)
>>>>
>>>> Note that nothing obliges you to use another -line- call.
>>>>
>>>> I haven't use -lgraph-, just looked at its help, but Timothy provides
>>>> lots of functionality.
>>>> Nick
>>>> njcoxstata@gmail.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 30 March 2014 23:51, Donald Spady <dspady@ualberta.ca> wrote:
>>>>> Timothy
>>>>> I am using your -lgraph- command and wonder if it is possible to have TWO stats created (e.g. mean and median) for the same variable(s) at the same time.  I want to plot both mean and median and cannot create an overlay to do so.
>>>>>
>>>>> Many thanks
>>>>> Don
>>>>> On Mar 28, 2014, at 1:29 AM, Timothy Mak <tshmak@hku.hk> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> The command -lgraph- that I wrote is for exactly this kind of problem if you don't want to create all the variables before plotting a graph.
>>>>>> You can see it by typing:
>>>>>> ssc des lgraph
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tim
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Donald Spady
>>>>>> Sent: 28 March 2014 08:59
>>>>>> To: Statalist Statalist
>>>>>> Subject: Re: st: graphing median values against time
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>> It works.  Just as I needed. Many thanks.
>>>>>> John: That suggestion didn't work the way I wanted it to, but thanks for the idea.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Don
>>>>>> On Mar 27, 2014, at 5:48 PM, Nick Cox <njcoxstata@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sure. If you use -egen-'s -median()- and -mean()- functions to get the
>>>>>>> variables you want, then it's any graph you want.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> As the median and mean values are repeated, don't plot them repeatedly.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Here are some dopey examples.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> . webuse grunfeld
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> . egen median = median(invest), by(year)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> . egen mean = mean(invest), by(year)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> . egen tag = tag(year)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> . line mean median year if tag
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For finer subdivisions, just use more variables as arguments to -by()-.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>>> njcoxstata@gmail.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 27 March 2014 22:34, Donald Spady <dspady@ualberta.ca> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Dear all
>>>>>>>> I want to graph the median and mean values of a series of variables against a time variable (on the X axis) and with the option of stratifying the variables by another one (such as sex or disease state).  I think I can do this by collapsing the data but is it possible to do this while retaining the data set in its 'original' state.  I have searched the archives and the reference manuals but have not come up with anything that seems to be what I want.
>>>>>>>> In many ways what I would like is a box plot with JUST the median (or mean) being plotted: no box, no outliers.  Is that possible.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>>>> Don
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