On Feb 1, 2008 9:15 PM, <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi.
>
> Is it possible to get a list of the variables from a dataset not currently in memory -- say in a macro?
>
> If I do
> des using otherdataset
> I see the variables in that dataset. But can I get those variables into a macro?
>
> Presently, I -use- the other dataset (-in 1-, to save space, but not time), and then -unab-. It works, but is there a more direct way, without loading the data?
>
> I have a vague sense that I've asked this before; so excuse me if I've forgotten the answer.
>
> Thanks
> --David
David, if you specify the varlist option with describe, Stata will
save the names of the variables in a macro called r(varlist) from
there you can capture them. Apparently, that's all you can get. It
seems that no extended macro functions work on that macro. Though you
may have more than one variable in there, Stata considers them as one
single element. See code below. Another thing, the variables may be
too many to be put in a macro, in which case an error will occur.
clear
input x1 x2 x3 x4
x1 x2 x3 x4
1. 1 1 3 4 5
2. 2 3 4 6 7
3. 4 1 23 45
4. 12 23 1 2
5. end
. save my_file
file my_file.dta saved
. clear
. input z1 z2 z3
z1 z2 z3
1. 20 30 50
2. 12 12 34
3. 12 34 56
4. 12 23 10
5. end
. describe using my_file, varlist
Contains data
obs: 4 1 Feb 2008 23:30
vars: 4
size: 80
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
storage display value
variable name type format label variable label
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
x1 float %9.0g
x2 float %9.0g
x3 float %9.0g
x4 float %9.0g
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorted by:
. local myvars r(varlist)
. local n: word count `myvars' // this returns 1
. di `myvars' "==" `n'
x1 x2 x3 x4==1
.
Likewise, if I try to put them in separate macros, it would be to no avail
. local myvars r(varlist)
. local j=1
. foreach v of local myvars {
2. local vlab: word `j' of `myvars'
3. local var`j' `vlab'
4. di "var `j' is `var`j''"
5. local j=`j'+1
6. }
var 1 is r(varlist)
However, if I do the following, I obtain expected results
. local myvars x1 x2 x3 x4
. local nvar: word count `myvars'
. di `nvar'
4
. local j=1
. foreach v of local myvars {
2. local vlab: word `j' of `myvars'
3. local var`j' `vlab'
4. di "Var `j' is `var`j''"
5. local j=`j'+1
6. }
Var 1 is x1
Var 2 is x2
Var 3 is x3
Var 4 is x4
Others may have other thoughts.
--
P. Wilner Jeanty, Post-doctoral researcher
Dept. of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
The Ohio State University
2120 Fyffe Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210
(614) 292-6382 (Office)
*
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