Re: st: mata's st_data

[Tirthankar Chakravarty <tirthankar.chakravarty@gmail.com>]

Joe,

I had to update my neglected copy of Stata 10.1 for this one, and
while the help file for -st_macroexpand()- hasn't changed between
Stata 10.1 and Stata 11.1, the code I sent you works in the latter,
but not in the former.

Turns out that in Stata 11, you don't need -st_macroexpand()- at all. The code:

*******************************************
clear*
set obs 10
foreach x of newlist a b c d {
       g var_`x' = runiform()
}
li
mata
st_data(.,"var_*",.)
end
*******************************************

is smart enough to do what you want it to do. The -st_macroexpand()-
was gratuitous in the code I sent you. For Stata 10.1, then you can
try this clumsy workaround by putting the variables you want into
locals beforehand:

*******************************************
clear*
set obs 10
foreach x of newlist a b c d {
       g var_`x' = runiform()
}
li
unab varnames:  var_*
mata
st_data(., tokens(st_local("varnames")),.)
end
*******************************************

There has to be a better solution for Stata 10 - I can't think of it right now.

T

2010/9/10 joe j <joe.stata@gmail.com>:
> Many thanks, Tirthankar.  But has this code worked for you? I am
> getting an error:
> var_* invalid name
>
> I am using Stata SE versin 10.1
>
> On Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Tirthankar Chakravarty
> <tirthankar.chakravarty@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Use -st_macroexpand()-:
>> *******************************************
>> clear*
>> set obs 10
>> foreach x of newlist a b c d {
>>        g var_`x' = runiform()
>> }
>> li
>> mata
>> st_data(.,st_macroexpand("var_*"),.)
>> end
>> *******************************************
>>
>> T
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 6:47 AM, joe j <joe.stata@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I was wondering if there is a way to use wildcard for variable names
>>> in mata's "st_data" function. I have a large number of variables, like
>>> US_ctry, UK_ctry, etc, all of which could be defined in Stata as
>>> "*ctry".
>>>
>>> But when I try the following in mata:
>>> A  =  st_data(.,("*ctry")).
>>>
>>> I get the warning:
>>>
>>> *ctry invalid name
>>>
>>> The (tedious) alternative is: A  =  st_data(.,("US_ctry", "UK_ctry")
>>>
>>> Any suggestion would be appreciated, because the number of variables
>>> are too many.
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>> *
>>> *   For searches and help try:
>>> *   http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
>>> *   http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
>>> *   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> To every ω-consistent recursive class κ of formulae there correspond
>> recursive class signs r, such that neither v Gen r nor Neg(v Gen r)
>> belongs to Flg(κ) (where v is the free variable of r).
>>
>> *
>> *   For searches and help try:
>> *   http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
>> *   http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
>> *   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
>>
>
> *
> *   For searches and help try:
> *   http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
> *   http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
> *   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
>



-- 
To every ω-consistent recursive class κ of formulae there correspond
recursive class signs r, such that neither v Gen r nor Neg(v Gen r)
belongs to Flg(κ) (where v is the free variable of r).

*
*   For searches and help try:
*   http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
*   http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
*   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/