st: RE: Error when -if- block is the last Mata line

[Nick Cox <n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk>]

Have a look first at Bill Gould's post 

http://www.stata.com/statalist/archive/2010-06/msg00392.html

Nick 
n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk 

Steve Samuels

I'm trying to learn Mata-better late than never.  I encountered the
issue below when I tried to run a suggestion that Ben Jann made in
http://www.stata.com/statalist/archive/2009-02/msg00439.html.

If I type the following code snippets interactively, I get a prompt
">" after the -if- line (first snippet) or after the -if- block
(second snippet).

If I run the code in a -do file-, I get an "unexpected end of line"
error. If I add any command after the if line or block (but not if I
add a comment line), there is no error. Obviously Stata is expecting
something after the -if- blocks. What and why? It looks like an -if-
line or block can't be the last line in a Mata session.

****************
//snippet 1
clear
mata
a= 1
r = 1
if (r) a = 2
end
****************
*****************
//snippet 2
clear
mata
a =1
r = 1
if (r){
a = 2
}
end
***************************

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