Re: st: editing string variables to remove letters and keep only numbers

["Darren White" <darrenm.white@health.qld.gov.au>]

Hi

I would use "destring" with the " force" option (which would return you a variable with only the numeric IDs).
You could then remove those IDS from your string vars (using if conditions) , perform your routine (below)  then bring back the non-alpha prefixed id's from your destring variable.

Darren
 


Darren White BSc MPH 
Epidemiologist 
Preventive Health Unit
Chief Health Officer Branch
Department of Health
Butterfield Street

Herston 4006
Brisbane
 
ph: (07) 3328 9288
mobile:0407 094 595
Email: DarrenM_White@health.qld.gov.au
 


>>> Michael McCulloch <mm@pinestreetfoundation.org> 6/18/2013 8:53 am >>>
I have a variable in my dataset that (due to changes in data entry practices over time) contains several styles of the variable ID:

- a number (e.g. 164)
- a letter-number combination (e.g. e64)
- a comma-separated letter-number combination (e.g. e64,e65) 

In seeking to (A) remove the letters, and (B) separate the comma-separated into two separate variables, ID1 and ID2, I wrote the following argument:

. split ID, p(",")
. gen str id1_new =""// make new ID to separate out the "e" from ID
. replace id1_new=substr(id1,2,3) 


This successfully splits ID into ID1 and ID2.

This also works if: 
a 3-digit variable has a preceding letter (e64 is changed to 64)

However, in the case of a 3-digit values WITHOUT PRECEDING LETTER, the first digit is removed (164 is changed to 64).

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Best wishes,
Michael McCulloch, LAc MPH PhD

--
Pine Street Foundation, since 1989
124 Pine Street | San Anselmo | California | 94960-2674  
P: (415) 407-1357 | F: (206) 338-2391 | http://www.PineStreetFoundation.org 


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