Re: st: RE: strange foreach loop result

[Klaus Pforr <klaus.pforr@mzes.uni-mannheim.de>]

<>

David,

I guess what you want to do is something like this:

use result_pilot.dta, clear
keep slope lower upper ed50
foreach var of varlist slope lower upper ed50 {
        if "`var'" == "slope" local myvar 1
        if "`var'" == "lower" local myvar 2
        if "`var'" == "upper" local myvar 3
        if "`var'" == "ed50" local myvar 4
        display "`var'", "`myvar'"
}

I.e. you want to compare the variable names, i.e. strings, not the 
values that the variables have. I guess both the variables slope and 
ed50 have the same values in the first observation, so you overwrite 
your local with 4 in the first loop run.

You can verify this easily

di slope
di ed50

which is equivalent to
di slope[1]
di ed50[1]

best

Klaus

Am 15.12.2010 17:53, schrieb Matthew Watt:
> David,
> Do you get the same results if you use an "if/else if" structure instead of a pure if structure?  As you have it now, each of your loop's tests is independent of the previous tests, meaning that even if `var' == slope, you test to see if `var' also equals lower, upper, and ed50.  The result of this is that if `var' equals both slope and ed50, you will assign a value of 4 to slope.  If you use an if/else structure, the else clause will only be tested if the "if" clause is false.
>
> Of course, you may end up with ed50 having a value of 1 if ed50 and slope are equal, should you use if/else.
>
> --Matt
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Airey, David C
> Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 11:40 AM
> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
> Subject: st: strange foreach loop result
>
> .
>
> I'm getting a really strange foreach loop result I don't understand.
>
> In the first code snippet on fictitious data, I get what I want. In the second code snippit on the real data I get a strange result for when the condition:
>
> if `var' == slope local myvar 1
>
> is evaluated when `var' is slope. It produces the result myvar==4, when it should return myvar==1.
>
> Anyone have a clue where my error is?
>
>
> clear
> set obs 10
> gen a = 1
> gen b = 2
> gen c = 3
> gen d = 4
> foreach var of varlist a b c d {
>          if `var' == a local myvar 1
>          if `var' == b local myvar 2
>          if `var' == c local myvar 3
>          if `var' == d local myvar 4
>          display "`var'", "`myvar'"
> }
>
> produces:
>
> a 1
> b 2
> c 3
> d 4
>
>
> use result_pilot.dta, clear
> keep slope lower upper ed50
> foreach var of varlist slope lower upper ed50 {
>          if `var' == slope local myvar 1
>          if `var' == lower local myvar 2
>          if `var' == upper local myvar 3
>          if `var' == ed50 local myvar 4
>          display "`var'", "`myvar'"
> }
>
> produces:
>
> slope 4<--weird, should be slope 1
> lower 2
> upper 3
> ed50 4
>
>
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--
__________________________________

Klaus Pforr
MZES AB - A
Universität Mannheim
D - 68131 Mannheim
Tel:  +49-621-181 2801 (nachmittags)
fax:  +49-621-181 2803
URL:  http://www.mzes.uni-mannheim.de

Besucheranschrift: A5, Raum A312
__________________________________

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