learning Stata graphics [was: Re: st: Re: Odds ratio graph - selecting order of bars]

[Nick Cox <njcoxstata@gmail.com>]

I don't know about the "especially" here. There is no programming in
use at that page, at most some preliminary commands before some
-graph- command and that's what you should expect. Programming means
that you have to write a program.

1. The Graphics manual remains the place to start.

2. Michael Mitchell's book

http://www.stata.com/bookstore/visual-guide-to-stata-graphics/index.html

is a valuable complement to that. I've had copies, but each
disappeared as somebody said "This is what I need!" and it never came
back. In essence, Michael's book is stuffed full of examples and the
code to produce them -- using only Stata's built-in commands.

3. There are many user-written programs and to that extent you should
not try to program what has already been programmed unless you can do
it better.

4. If you get to here, you have a novel kind of graph and it may
require a new program. I don't think there is much written that will
help you much directly, except to look for the most similar examples.
I have written on graphics in the Stata Journal from time to time and
I try to include strategic advice as well as detailed examples.

David Hoaglin had some negative but unspecific comments on

http://www.survey-design.com.au/Stata%20Graphs.html

If that page was of interest, then so also should be

http://www.survey-design.com.au/Usergraphs.html

http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/faq/graph/atsplot.htm

http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/faq/graph/njcplot.htm

As a disclaimer:  My work is cited on some of these pages and that's
fine by me . But in the case of code based on Statalist posts in
particular often the question was "How do I do X?" and people got an
answer, often based on some silly example using the auto data. If the
answer looks good, I claim maximum credit. If the answer looks lousy,
I didn't endorse it.

Nick
njcoxstata@gmail.com

On 10 July 2013 01:18, Michael Stewart <michaelstewartresearch@gmail.com> wrote:

> Would David/Nick or any statalist members recommend sources to learn
> stata graphics , especially involving some programming like in
> http://www.survey-design.com.au/Stata%20Graphs.html
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