If you -sort- on any variable, only the order
of the observations changes, not their values.
Alternatively, what you want may be what
I call a -cosort-. -save- your data first
just in case this is not what you want.
*! 1.0.0 NJC 3 November 1999
program define cosort
version 6
syntax varlist(min=2) [if] [in]
tokenize `varlist'
tempvar touse order
mark `touse' `if' `in'
qui replace `touse' = 1 - `touse'
sort `touse' `1'
gen long `order' = _n
mac shift
qui while "`1'" != "" {
tempvar copy
local type : type `1'
gen `type' `copy' = `1'
sort `touse' `1'
replace `1' = `copy'[`order']
drop `copy'
mac shift
}
sort `order'
end
.-
help for ^cosort^
.-
Sort variables and align in sorted order
----------------------------------------
^cosort^ varlist [if] [in]
Description
-----------
^cosort^ sorts each variable in varlist and replaces variables so that all
are in sorted order, aligned so that the first of each is in the first
observation, the second of each is in the second observation, and so on.
Variables may be numeric or string.
Observations selected by ^if^ and/or ^in^ are placed first in the data set.
Suppose we have
^a b c^
3 7 13
1 8 12
2 9 11
After ^cosort a b c^ we have
^a b c^
1 7 11
2 8 12
3 9 13
Warning
-------
^cosort^ is a rarely needed command. Almost all sorting problems call for
@sort@ or @gsort@.
Example where it may be appropriate: sorting independent batches of random
numbers held in separate variables.
^cosort^ destroys information in your data set in so far as values in each
observation are typically not kept together. To be on the safe side, ^save^
your data before issuing ^cosort^.
Examples
--------
. ^cosort x y^
Author
------
Nicholas J. Cox, University of Durham, U.K.
n.j.cox@@durham.ac.uk
Also see
--------
On-line: help for @sort@, @gsort@
Nick
[email protected]
NEYMOTIN, FLORENCE
> is there a way to sort just ONE variable without changing the
> rest of the dataset? i.e. I want to
> sort EACH variable seperately and leave the rest of the
> dataset the same...
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