Fellow Statalisters (especially StataCorp):
I was wondering if there is any documentation, accessible to users, of the formal syntax for the column names of estimates vectors produced by estimation commands. I am aware (from -help undocumented-) that these are input by -_ms_omit_info- and -_ms_empty_info- to create row vectors, as long as the estimates vector, containing the omitted status and the emptiness status (respectively). However, when I looked in the base and updates folders of my Stata 11 (which tells me that it is up to date when I -update query- it). I couldn't find any files -_ms_omit_info.ado- or -_ms_empty_info.ado-, although I did find -_ms_omit_info.sthlp- and -_ms_empty_info.sthlp-. This seems to imply that the syntax cracking for the column stripe is done in the executable, or somewhere else out of sight to most users.
Is there any documentation that I haven't managed to find? I ask because I encountered a problem earlier this week, caused by the addition of "o." to estimation matrix column names with omitted parameters, which I mentioned in my email earlier today at
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/lwgate/STATALIST/archives/statalist.0911/Subject/article-281.html
and I am wondering if there are any more traps waiting for unwary programmers out there. I am aware of -[U] 11.4 varlists-, which discusses the various prefixes that can b used in a varlist. And I am also aware of the discussion of expanded specific factor varlists in -[P] fvexpand-. However, I would like, ideally, to know the full syntax for estimate matrix column stripes (if that is stably defined), including prefixes for omitted parameters and empty table cell parameters, so I could program accordingly.
Best wishes
Roger
Roger B Newson BSc MSc DPhil
Lecturer in Medical Statistics
Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health Group
National Heart and Lung Institute
Imperial College London
Royal Brompton Campus
Room 33, Emmanuel Kaye Building
1B Manresa Road
London SW3 6LR
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)20 7352 8121 ext 3381
Fax: +44 (0)20 7351 8322
Email: [email protected]
Web page: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/nhli/r.newson/
Departmental Web page:
http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/about/divisions/nhli/respiration/popgenetics/reph/
Opinions expressed are those of the author, not of the institution.
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