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Re: st: Odd behaviour of wordcount function
From
Nick Cox <[email protected]>
To
[email protected]
Subject
Re: st: Odd behaviour of wordcount function
Date
Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:45:48 -0500
-wordcount()- is subject to a limit on length of input argument. You need
. display `: word count `vars''
See -help limits- and -help extended fcn-.
Nick
On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 11:36 AM, Seed, Paul <[email protected]> wrote:
> I have some 20 variable names in a local macro, called "vars" , and I want
> to know exactly how many there are. Why doesn't this work?
>
> . di wordcount("`vars'")
> 12
>
> Or even this?
>
> . #delim ;
> . di wordcount("f4_latepreg_sample f4_date_late_control_visit
> f4_final_latepreg_sample f5_marital_status f5_country_of_birth
> f5_main_ethnicity f5_oth_ethnicity f5_ethnicity_custcentiles
> f5_immigration_hx f5_partcpt_migration_yrs f5_partnr_migration
> f5_yrs_schooling f5_tertiary_edu f5_oth_tertiary_edu f5_job_situation
> f5_mat_occupation f5_major_grp f5_socioeconomic_index f5_living_situation
> f5_children_in_house f5_current_accomod f5_type_accomod
> f5_partcpt_partnr_income f5_individuals_support_dollar f5_type_maternity_care")
> ;
> 12
> .#delim cp
>
> This doesn't work either, but I think I know why.
> . di wordcount(`vars')
> invalid syntax
> r(198);
>
> I can't see this behaviour mentioned in the manuals.
> Is it a bug; or an obscure "feature", whose advantages I am blind to?
> Is there any way of stopping Stata truncating the list before counting the words,
> and why should I have to?
>
> I am using Stata version 11.2, on a Windows platform.
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