Stata s capabilities include data management, statistical analysis, graphics, simulations, regression analysis, and custom programming. Displaying variable label instead of variable name statas. Not all characters in the keyboard, however, are allowed in naming variables. For stata 8 or later use the default version 7 the only advantage of stata 8 format over 7 is that it can represent multiple different missing value types, and r doesnt have them. The variable names correspond to the column names of matrix. The name stata is a syllabic abbreviation of the words statistics and data. It standardizes country names from various sources, making much easier to merge datasets that report different spellings, abbreviations, and numeric codes for the same country. However, imagine two variables named perseat and percabinet. If i do use an abbreviation, its always a local variable name and never a class, method, field or property. Occasionally ill abbreviate a lambda argument name if theres only one to a single letter, but its scope is highly local, much like a local variable name. In this article youll learn how to create new variables and change existing variables. However, we recommend that the full unabbreviated versions should always be used in.
Ive re download the data in csv and then imported it, but this bug surprised me much. The standard i use is to not abbreviate variable names unless the abbreviation is more readable than the full version i for iteration indices, for instance. Stata understands most abbreviations for commands and variable names, as long as the abbreviation is unique. Note that the list command has its own option to allow the user partial control of thedisplay. I like to keep the names of my variables short but readable. If the same mata functions are used by the syntax internally, then this can explain the above behavior. These arent abbreviations, but mathematical conventions. Put distinguishing material at the beginning of variable names not the end if you can. Run the code below via the stata command line, inserting the directory where you saved the files.
Can someone help or at least explain how i can abbreviate in the replace command. Isnt it already the default setting that variable names are not abbreviated but instead the regression output tables are stretched. The correct english pronunciation of stata must remain a mystery. The meaning of stata abbreviation is statistics and data what does stata mean. If you are new to stata we strongly recommend reading all the articles in the stata basics section. A variable name may contain only the digits 0 to 9 and upper or lower case english alphabets a to z. This article is part of the stata for students series. The varlist in the describe using syntax differs from standard stata varlists in two ways.
This is often handy when entering commands from the command line during your exploratory analyses. However, i noticed that the abbreviation option does not seem to work per the help file. Another shortcut is that many commands can have their names abbreviated. Abbreviating variable names typically just lessens their ability to communicate. Asweset varabbrev off, wemustspecifyonlyunabbreviated variable names in a list command, but we can override stata s default abbreviation in. Stata is letting me abbreviate in the describe command but not in the replace command. A variable name, which is what you call the variable when communicating with. Several variables can be renamed with a single command, as in. Illegal characters in stata variable names statalist. These labels are sometimes used in stata output and graphs in place of variable names so that anyone can understand the meaning of variables used.
In stata, i would like to run a regression and visually display each variable s coefficients and their confidence intervals relative to zero, as the code and figure shown below. Commandfunction description unab expand and unabbreviate standard variable lists tsunab expand and unabbreviate variable lists that may contain timeseries operators fvunab expand and unabbreviate variable. Prevent variable abbreviation in stata statatex blog. Note that obviously you cannot use variable lists here. Stata s capabilities include data management, statistical analysis, graphics, simulations, regression, and custom programming. See downloading communitycontributed commands in gsm 19 updating. In addition, it converts country names from one coding scheme to another, and, finally, it generates a geographical region variable. Trivedi, is an outstanding introduction to microeconometrics and how to do microeconometric research using stata. Otherwise the variable names are repeated as variable labels. When using large numbers of variables with similar names, however, it can be quite dangerous, especially when dofiles are run at once. When using large numbers of variables with similar names, however, it can be quite dangerous, especially when do. Which is particularly bothering when two variables start by the same word, you cant neither change their name, neither call those variable. You can do exactly that if all the abbreviations to the first 8 letters are distinct.
Dear friends, sometimes, i just need to use some downloaded stata data file. Researchers and statisticians alike find themselves balancing their needs for the variable names to be informative, but not so informative that one accidentally misspecifies variables and producing messy and problematic analysis. For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact. Stata module to compare variable name lists in two data sets cfvars compares the lists of variable names in stata data file filename1 and either stata data file. Stata ambiguous abbreviation r111 ask question asked 6 years. Naming variables in stata and other statistical packages is definitely a practice in balancing art and science. Variable name abbreviation, stata journal, statacorp lp, vol. A discussion of these commands was published in the stata technical. Naming variables in stata and other statistical packages. In this display, stata has abbreviated the long variable name, despite the current value of varabbrev.
Stata acronym abbreviation all acronyms dictionary. If we just preceded the variable with y as i used to, sigh, then if you have a variable named youngkids, you have to take extra steps to work around it. Displaying variable label instead of variable name stata s margins plot. This does not imply that robust rather than conventional estimates of varbx. In many cases, variable abbreviation is a handy tool in stata e.
This tutorial is an introduction to stata emphasizing data management and graphics. Naming variables, especially in stata glenn hoetker. When computing logs i usually just prefix the old variable name with log or l. Although it has a similar conceptual meaning, its usage is different because it is a. For example, the user can abbreviate the command regress to reg. Stata allows abbreviations of commands, variable names, and options. My aim is to have the full variable names show in the outputted tables without any abbreviation of variable names occurring.
Still, when, for example, naming the variable that holds the index of an element in some list, i tend to use elemindex because i dont know a proper and universally understood way of abbreviating the word. This is good, because social science data come in various formats, requiring great flexibility among the statistical packages social scientists use. Stata would be unable to distinguish between the two variables if the abbreviation per was used. How to show all the letters in the variable name when they are long. There are some characters allowed in variable names in programs that dont work well or at all in stata. Stata assumes that variable names are the first row of data in text files. Stata module to compare variable name lists in two. While it may be compatible with earlier versions, it has.
I know it is rwritten since this displays at the opening of the dataset. Variable labels expand on the meaning of a variable beyond its name. I want to report a bug that i faced when downloading a rwritten. It also has a system to disseminate userwritten programs that lets it grow continuously. Schoumaker bruno i would like to truncate the variable names of my dataset to 8 characters. Abbreviating commands, options and variable names in stata.
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