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Re: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
From 
 
Nick Cox <[email protected]> 
To 
 
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> 
Subject 
 
Re: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ? 
Date 
 
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:59:55 +0100 
It's documented. See help on macro extended functions and the  
corresponding manual entry. That is accessible by -help extended fcn-.
Nick
On 31 Jul 2012, at 13:47, Pradipto Banerjee <[email protected] 
> wrote:
Nick, That's very interesting. I wasn't aware that this kind of  
usage of ":" is possible. It's another undocumented feature.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:owner- 
[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nick Winter
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 8:41 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
Not that this is the advice you are looking for, but I tend to solve
this sort of problem like this:
local newvars test1 test2
local oldvars price mpg
forval i=1/`: word count `newvars'' {
  egen `: word `i' of `newvars'' = sum(`: word `i' of oldvars'')
}
or
local newvars test1 test2
local ptiles 10 90
forval i=1/`: word count `newvars'' {
  egen `: word `i' of `newvars'' = pctile(price), p(`: word `i' of
ptiles'')
}
s
On 7/30/2012 6:50 PM, Pradipto Banerjee wrote:
In case, it helps why I was asking about EGEN_Varname and  
EGEN_SVarname, this is a command of the-egenmult- code I have  
written that repeatedly calls -egen-. The way it works is as follows:
. sysuse auto, clear
Example # 1
. by foreign, sort: egenmult {test1 test2} = sum({price mpg})
It works equivalently as:
. sort foreign
. by foreign: egen test1 = sum(price)
. by foreign: egen test2 = sum(mpg)
Example # 2
. drop test1 test2
. by foreign, sort: egenmult float {test1 test2} = pctile(price), p 
({10 90})
It works equivalent as:
. sort foreign
. by foreign: egen float test1 = pctile(price),p(10)
. by foreign: egen float test2 = pctile(price),p(90)
I've been trying to see if I'm missing anything in the code below.  
Thanks.
-----
program define egenmult, byable(onecall) sortpreserve
        local fullexp `0'
        gettoken type 0 : 0, parse(" ")
        local restexp `"`0'"'
        /* gen a list of all possible types */
        local types "byte int long float double"
        forvalues i=1(1)244 {
                local types "`types' str`i'"
        }
        local typegiven strpos(`"`types'"',`"`type'"')
        if `typegiven' > 0 local fullexp `restexp'
        else local type
        /* get the number & locations of the { } */
        local partexp = `"`fullexp'"'
        local curvefnd = 0
        local numbrak = 0
        local allopenpos
        local allclosepos
        local alloptions
        while `curvefnd' == 0 {
                local openpos = strpos(`"`partexp'"',"{")
                if `openpos'>0 {
                        local allopenpos `allopenpos' `openpos'
                        local closepos = strpos(`"`partexp'"',"}")
                        if `closepos' == 0 error 198
                        local allclosepos `allclosepos' `closepos'
                        local numbrak = `numbrak'+1
                        if `"`alloptions'"'=="" {
                                local newoptions = substr 
(`"`partexp'"',`openpos'+1,`closepos'-`openpos'-1)
                                local alloptions `"`newoptions'"'
                                local numloop = wordcount 
(`"`newoptions'"')
                        }
                        else {
                                local newoptions = substr 
(`"`partexp'"',`openpos'+1,`closepos'-`openpos'-1)
                                if `numloop'!=wordcount 
(`"`newoptions'"') error 198
                                local alloptions `"`alloptions'"'  
`"`newoptions'"'
                        }
                }
                else {
                        local curvefnd = 1
                }
                local partexp = subinstr(`"`partexp'"',"{","!",1)
                local partexp = subinstr(`"`partexp'"',"}","!",1)
        }
        local tollen = strlen(`"`partexp'"')
        /* recreate & run the individual commands */
        forvalues iloop=1(1)`numloop' {
                forvalues jbrak=1(1)`numbrak' {
                        if `jbrak'==1 {
                                local jthbrakopen : word `jbrak' of  
`allopenpos'
                                local newexp = substr(`"`partexp'"', 
1,`jthbrakopen'-1)
                                local repexp : word `jbrak' of  
`"`alloptions'"'
                                local repexp = word 
(`"`repexp'"',`iloop')
                                local newexp = `"`newexp'"' + " " +  
`"`repexp'"' + " "
                        }
                        else {
                                local jthbrakopen : word `jbrak' of  
`allopenpos'
                                local jprevbrak = `jbrak'-1
                                local jprevbrakclose : word  
`jprevbrak' of `allclosepos'
                                local newexp = `"`newexp'"' + " " +  
substr(`"`partexp'"',`jprevbrakclose'+1,`jthbrakopen'- 
`jprevbrakclose'-1)
                                local repexp : word `jbrak' of  
`"`alloptions'"'
                                local repexp = word 
(`"`repexp'"',`iloop')
                                local newexp = `"`newexp'"' + " " +  
`"`repexp'"' + " "
                        }
                }
                local jprevbrakclose : word `numbrak' of  
`allclosepos'
                local newexp = `"`newexp'"' + substr 
(`"`partexp'"',`jprevbrakclose'+1,`tollen'-`jprevbrakclose')
                if _by() by `_byvars': egen `type' `newexp'
                else egen `type' `newexp'
        }
end
-----
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:owner- 
[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pradipto Banerjee
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 5:25 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
Thanks, Billy. After reading your email, I realized that perhaps my  
questions weren't clear. So, I thought to rewrite them:
1. One of the things I specifically asked was where did the -egen-  
code figure out that it was supplied with -by- or -bysort-.
2. On a standalone basis, what does it mean if we use "_all" such  
as in `"`args'"' =="_all"? I already AWARE of the usage(s) of _all  
in -drop _all-, -program drop _all- etc. This usage of `"`args'"'  
=="_all" is NOT documented in the programming manual!
3. In the -egen- code, what the following line achieve? Or intends  
to achieve?
local args : subinstr local args "`_sortindex'"  "", all word
4. Regarding your comment "The global macros need to be defined so  
they can be passed to the other functions (which is why Nick  
explicitly mentioned that they are there because local macros would  
not work in this context).", I was specifically asking: why do they  
need to be passed on to other functions and why do they need to be  
defined twice?
5. Yes, I have read the Programming Manual - and none of the  
questions I have asked can be resolved using the Manual. Kit Baum's  
book as the name suggests is an Introduction. Please let me know if  
that book the specifically any of the questions I asked.
Best.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:owner- 
[email protected]] On Behalf Of William Buchanan
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 5:10 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
Hi Pradipto,
I'll try to answer what I can, but it may not be much and others on  
the list
would likely have much more refined/precise answers.
1. The lines of code:
  if _by() {
                local byopt "by(`_byvars')"
                local cma ","
        }
might be what you are looking for, but you should also read the  
help file
for the -byable- option in the programming manual.  This will  
better explain
things.
2. Not sure about all of your question here, but you should  
consider the
context in which this line occurs
if `"`args'"' == "_all" | `"`args'"' == "*" {
                version 7.0, missing
                unab args : _all
                local args : subinstr local args "`_sortindex'"   
"", all
word
                version 6.0, missing
        }
Which seems like it is parsing different ways that you could  
include the
entire varlist in your dataset.  And _all is used in more than just  
-drop-.
For example, -log query _all- or -program drop _all- are other uses  
of
"_all".
3. The global macros need to be defined so they can be passed to  
the other
functions (which is why Nick explicitly mentioned that they are there
because local macros would not work in this context).
Have you read the programming manual for Stata yet?  If not I would  
highly
suggest going through that and possibly looking into other  
resources (Kit
Baum's book is pretty awesome).  Otherwise, you could probably just  
as
easily create a work around using tempvars that you could combine  
into a
single variable that is stored at the end of the routine with a loop.
HTH,
Billy
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pradipto  
Banerjee
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 1:47 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
Billy,
I'm primarily trying to understand Stata syntax within the -egen-  
code to
write my "own" function rather than modify the -egen- code. Perhaps  
you can
help me. For instance,
1. How does the egen function handle the "by" part:
. by var1: egen ...
. bysort var1 (var2): egen ...
i.e., where in the egen code, does it figure out that it needs to  
sort
before doing a by operation etc (i.e. where does it figure out that  
it was
supplied with -by- instead of -bysort- etc). Similarly, in another  
part of
the function, it's written
. capture noisily _g`fcn' `type' `dummy' = (`args') `if' `in' /*
                */ `cma' `byopt' `options'
Why is the "by" part done this way?, i.e. why isn't this given as
. capture noisily by _byvars: _g`fcn' `type' `dummy' = (`args')  
`if' `in' ,
`options'
2. In the part of the code where it is written:
(a) . local args : subinstr local args "`_sortindex'"  "", all word
Why are we changing all instances of _sortindex as blanks? Isn't the
sortindex typically like __000000 (or something similar), and it  
isn't
normally provided when a person is calling the egen function?
(b) . if `"`args'"' =="_all"
Usually, I had seen _all been used as drop _all. What does the  
above part of
the code mean?
3. (a) Why do we need to define EGEN_SVarname and EGEN_Varname to  
`name' and
_sortindex before calling the _g`fcn', AND (b) why do we need to  
define them
again to Null?
Thanks
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of William  
Buchanan
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 1:00 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
Pradipto,
Another important thing to consider, with regards to Nick's advice,  
is that
he is basically trying to prevent you from making any changes to your
installed copy of Stata that might "break" it.  If you're changing  
the
global macros in the egen files then you run the risk of making a  
change
that prevents egen from working correctly in the future.  If you  
wanted to
see what those variables are, you could do something like:
viewsource egen.ado (copy the material in the window into the do  
file editor
or another text editor of your choice)
save your clone as myegen.ado to your personal directory (if you're  
unsure
where this is you can use the -sysdir- command)
pick the function that you were trying to modify and do the same  
thing
(e.g., copy the source into a new file myconcat.ado for example).
Now if you make a call to -myegen- make sure that you are using the  
function
that you've duplicated and you can change the global macros in your
duplicate files.
The point, however, is to avoid editing any of the files that are  
native to
the Stata installation unless you're willing to risk making  
potentially
harmful changes.  Additionally, Nick also provided you with an  
example
earlier illustrating how you could make the egen subroutine that  
you were
interested in byable, so you could just start working with that  
code and
modifying it as necessary.
HTH,
Billy
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nick Cox
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 9:41 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
I am mixing explanations and advice on different levels. Feel free  
to take
the explanations when correct and ignore the advice if it doesn't  
appeal.
Otherwise I think Maarten's reply to you captures my attitude well.  
It is a
defining characteristic of a discussion list that people aren't  
obliged to
offer exactly the kind of support that posters of questions might  
prefer.
Nick
On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 8:48 AM, Pradipto Banerjee
<[email protected]> wrote:
advance my understanding of programming in Stata? Why are some  
folks allowed
Nick
I don't understand your line of thought ... you actually want me NOT
to
to understand advanced programming and others not?
Sorry to say this, but one huge negative of Stata is that there is  
so
undocumented stuff - and for efficient programming we have to  
repeatedly
much
rely on email lists like this.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nick Cox
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2012 9:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: st: What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
These are names of globals defined in -egen- to communicate between
programs, which manifestly can't be done through locals, apart from
using non-documented features. If you're following my earlier advice
you will leave them in peace.
Nick
On 27 Jul 2012, at 16:03, Pradipto Banerjee
<[email protected]
wrote:
I noticed some of the codes, e.g. _ggroup2 use EGEN_Varname and
EGEN_SVarname and recently one of the codes shared by Nick (called
ereplace) use these. What is EGEN_Varname and EGEN_SVarname ?
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