st: string variables

[Christopher F Baum <baum@bc.edu>]

Umit said

> I am trying to take the first two characters of a string variable using
> substr command as below:
>
> name2 = substr(name,1,2)
>
> However I get an error message of " type mismatch". Any idea about how 
> I can
> handle this?
He did not indicate whether he was using Stata 7 or 8. I presume that 
there is a 'generate' in this statement. In Stata 8, one can get away 
with gen name2 = substr(name,1,2), but in Stata 7, one must say gen 
str2 name2 = etc. -- that is, you must declare the new variable of type 
string. Otherwise Stata thinks you are assigning a string to a 
(default) float, and objects. Stata 8 is smarter about that.

Kit

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