st: RE: create local from element of matrix e(b)

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

I know of a two-line solution 

mat b = e(b)
local bw = b[1,1]

and I too would be interested to hear of a shorter one. 

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

Claire Kamp Dush

I am sure someone had to have asked this type of question before, but in my googling and searching of the statalist archive, I could not come across a clear answer.
 
I am trying to create a local that equals an element of matrix e(b) produced by Stata following xtreg, fe. In fact, I am trying to get the first element.
 
Here is what I did:
 
quietly xtreg mdepc wavedi mdis_coh, fe
. matrix list e(b)
e(b)[1,3]
       wavedi   mdis_coh      _cons
y1  .24873096  .34650713  .83985765
 
. local dif = el(e(b), 1,1)
matrix operators that return matrices not allowed in this context
r(509);
. local dif = e(b)[1,1]
invalid syntax
r(198);
. gen dif = el(e(b), 1,1)
matrix operators that return matrices not allowed in this context
r(509);
. gen dif = e(b)[1,1]
matrix operators that return matrices not allowed in this context
r(509);

 
I would appreciate any advice - I am sure I am making a really obvious mistake.

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