Thanks to Kit Baum, there is now a new package -xcontract- downloadable
from SSC. In Stata, type -ssc desc xcontract- to find out more.
The -xcontract- package is described as below on my website. It is an
extended version of -contract-, and is improved in 3 ways. First, it
calculates percents. Second, it is byable (calculating percents within
by-groups if -by ... :- is specified). Third, it gives the user more choice
about the destination of the output data set, with the options of listing
it to the Stata log, saving it to a disk file, or writing it to the memory
(overwriting the original data set).
Just recently, there have been a few postings on Statalist, indicating that
quite a few users could use a package like -xcontract- for creating
publication-ready tables of frequencies and percents. The output data set
produced by -xcontract- can be converted to a form that can be cut and
pasted into a word processor such as Microsoft Word, or into a TeX, LaTeX
or HTML document, using the -listtex- package, downloadable from SSC (or in
a Stata 7 version from my website). This might be done after reprocessing
the output data set using various other packages, such as -tostring- and
-ingap- (also downloadable from SSC) and -reshape- (part of official
Stata). More about the use of these packages to create publication-ready
tables can be found in Newson (2003), due to appear in The Stata Journal,
but also downloadable from my website at http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/
either using a browser or using the Stata -net- command.
Best wishes
Roger
References
Newson R. Confidence intervals and p-values for delivery to the end user.
The Stata Journal 2003, in press.
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package xcontract from http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson/stata8
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TITLE
xcontract: Make data set of frequencies and percents on disk or in
memory
DESCRIPTION/AUTHOR(S)
xcontract is an extended version of contract. It creates a data set
with one
observation per combination of values of a list of variables in the
existing
data set and new variables containing the frequency and percent of each
combination, and, optionally, the cumulative frequency and percent
of each
combination. By-variables can be used with xcontract, and the percents
will then be calculated within by-groups. The output data set may
either be
listed to the Stata log, or saved to a disk file, or written to the
memory
(overwriting any existing data set).
Author: Roger Newson
Distribution-Date: 04august2003
Stata-Version: 8
INSTALLATION FILES (click here to install)
xcontract.ado
xcontract.hlp
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--
Roger Newson
Lecturer in Medical Statistics
Department of Public Health Sciences
King's College London
5th Floor, Capital House
42 Weston Street
London SE1 3QD
United Kingdom
Tel: 020 7848 6648 International +44 20 7848 6648
Fax: 020 7848 6620 International +44 20 7848 6620
or 020 7848 6605 International +44 20 7848 6605
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.kcl-phs.org.uk/rogernewson
Opinions expressed are those of the author, not the institution.
