<>
Here is your solution. Your code raises a whole lot of questions on
different levels...
Still, the bottom line, as always with -local-s, is that the equal
sign
evaluates while a lack of it just copies strings, with several
implications...
*******
clear*
set obs 30
gen byte a=irecode(runiform(),.2, .3, .5 1)
gen byte b=irecode(runiform(),.2, .3, .5 1)
gen label ="This is the title " + string(_n)
forvalues i = 1/`c(N)'{
local g `g' (function y = exp(a[`i']*(x-b[`i']))/(1+
exp(a[`i']*(x-b[`i']))), /*
*/ range(-6 6) tit(`=label[`i']'))
}
tw `g'
*******
HTH
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alex Gamma
Sent: Mittwoch, 27. Januar 2010 00:09
To: statalist
Subject: Re: st: RE: How to get a macro with content `something'
Nick,
thanks for this clear explanation. To answer your question at the end
(why do I think I need this?):
The problem arose from my wish to put together a graph command that
incorporates a single graph for every observation
in a dataset and then overlays them (see code below).
So I'm looping over all observations to
1) construct the bits of the graph command for each observation
(here: (function y = exp.......) stored in the local macros g1 g2...g
[_N]), and
2) to cumulate these bits into the final graph command (here: the
local macro g) that overlays all the single graphs:
- twoway (function y=exp.....)(function y=exp.....)(function
y=exp.....)(function y=exp.....) ... - with a total of _N
(function...) blocks
Here's the code:
(a, b, label are variables in the dataset)
-----------------------------------
local N=_N
forvalues i = 1(1)`N' {
local t`i' = label[`i']
local g`i' = "(function y = exp(a[`i']*(x-b[`i']))/(1+
exp(a[`i']*(x-
b[`i']))), range(-6 6) title(`t`i''))"
local g = "`g'" + "`g`i''"
}
twoway "`g'"
-----------------------------------
The problem with this solution is that the graph command stored in
macro g soon breaks the length limits for string variables.
That's why I thought it would be nice to get macro g to store not the
actual graph commands but just macro references to them:
Macro g would then contain "`g1' `g2' `g3'... `g[_N]'" and - twoway
"`g'" - would appropriatley expand to - twoway `g1' `g2' `g3'... `g
[_N]' - which in turn would expand to - twoway (function[1])(function
[2])...(function[_N]) -
Alex
Am 26.01.2010 um 18:22 Uhr schrieb Nick Cox:
Dereferencing occurs at all levels as soon as you write down one or
more
pairs of ` ' to indicate a local macro. It's not a question of
peeling
one layer off at a time. If that were so, working with nested macros
would be more tedious.
Thus although you inserted the text "`something'" inside local
macro A,
as soon as you write
`A'
Stata looks inside, sees `something' and dereferences that in
turn, so
what you get is no surprise.
If you don't want dereferencing, don't refer to a local macro
(until you
need its contents, that is).
You can delay dereferencing just once by using a backslash, but that
doesn't wire in lifelong protection. It works just once, as said.
As I don't recognise your need as one I've felt in 15 or so years of
Stata programming, I am tempted to say you are not missing
anything. But
let me ask directly:
Why do you think you need this?
Nick
[email protected]
Alex Gamma
although I feel I must be overlooking something big,
despite checking [P] and [U] and the Statalist archives,
I wasn't able to figure out how I can simply get a local
macro A with content `something', but without expanding
`something' (something is a macro, too, that contains,
let's say, foo1 [. loc something foo1]).
I couldn't get it to work using "\".
If I code
. loc A \`something'
I will get, as desired,
. mac list _A
_A: `something'
But if I use A in code, e.g.
. loc s "`A'" + "foo2"
I get
.mac list _s
_s: "foo1" + "foo2"
instead of
_s: `something' + "foo2"
Likewise
. di "`A'"
returns
foo1
instead of
`something'
Is what I want impossible or even unnecessary?
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