Danielle H. Ferry wrote:
Is there something like inlist which does not require that all arguments
exist? I would like to keep observations where varname = a or b or c or d or
... But it could be that varname never takes the value of d. Another issue
is
that my list of arguments is v. long (~145), so a simple or statement is not
possible. I found a stata faq that suggested using inlist, but this doesn't
like it when one of the arguments in the list doesn't exist, and my varname
is
a string, so I'd have to write many of these inlist statements (b/c the
limit
is 2 strings).
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A variable *name* doesn't exist in the list of arguments? The circumstances
sound peculiar--either variable d exists in a dataset or it doesn't and if
the former, then you'll select all observations in the dataset. Could you
tell us a bit more just what it is that you're trying to accomplish? There
might be a better route to your objective that someone on the List can
suggest given a little more detail.
According to the help file, -inlist()- takes up to ten string arguments in
its list of possibilities (a, b, c, . . . in the help file syntax example).
And, in my experience, -inlist()- doesn't care if one of these arguments--or
even if any of them--doesn't exist. Just the first argument needs to exist
(z in the help file's syntax example). You can use multiple instances
of -inlist()-:
keep if inlist(Z, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, k) | ///
inlist(z, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u) | ///
inlist(z, . . . .)
but, again, there might be a more direct way to do what it is that you're
trying to do.
Joseph Coveney
*
* For searches and help try:
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