Latest version command "rd"

[Juan Hernandez]

Greetings,

I wanted to ask if someone could please show me the way to install the latest version of the command "rd" created by Austin Nichols

I just installed the latest version of "rdrobust" (another rd command) and found out it is quite different from the version I was using, so I was basically running an obsolete command.

This is what I ran in order to do it: net install rdrobust, from(http://www-personal.umich.edu/~catta...rdrobust/stata) replace

So if someone knows a similar command for getting the latest version of "rd" I would deeply appreciate it.

Apart from this, if I had to choose between one of this commands, do you have any idea of which one is better?

Thanks in advance.

[Charlie Joyez]

ssc install rd

[Juan Hernandez]

I had already done that...how can one guarantee that it is the latest one though?

[Charlie Joyez]

Well, this code downloads the latest version of this program available on SSC.
If it displays:

all files already exist and are up to date.

Then you have the latest version of the program, available on SSC.

It might not be the latest version of all (if the author have stopped uploading his updates on SSC, but this would be very unusual)

At last to make sure this is the latest version existing, you could directly contact the author and ask whether new versions are available (you have a corresponding email on the help file of rd).

Have you any hints that suggests this version is not up to date? If you don't, by all probabilities the SSC version is the one up to date.

Best,
Charlie

[Juan Hernandez]

Thank you very much for your reply,

I already contacted the author, and the hint I have is that, in an email he sent me explaining how his command works, he writes the following code:

rd y z, bdep mbw(50 100 150 200 250 300) bdopt(yli(1))

the problem is that the option "bdopt(yli(1))" is not found in the help file, so I figured there is a version even more recent of the command that the one you get when you type:

ssc install rd

[Charlie Joyez]

Ah ok, I see why you were wondering then.

But the bdopt() option is actually included in the command downloaded through SSC (though not detailed in the help file), you'll notice that by browsing the code.

However I have seen yet what does it changes, perhaps the author could indicate you that.

Best,
Charlie

[Juan Hernandez]

Sorry, one last thing, when you say "browsing the code" you mean open the .ados in Stata?

Best,

Juan

[Charlie Joyez]

Yes, open the .ado files (be careful not to change anything) or look at the file stored in the the web at repec (here : http://fmwww.bc.edu/repec/bocode/r/rd.ado)
This way you don't have to download the program before looking at it, but the display is less clear than in a ado file (not the color code).

However this is for ``advanced" Stata users, who have at least a rough idea of how a Stata program is coded. (Or, conversely, you could see it is a good way to learn! and very useful for regular Stata users).


So in the code, you see that when defining the syntax, it is written a bdopt(string) option (among many others)

However, since I didn't know this particular program and I've never used it I don't know what this option does.
I would tend to think that it modify a graphic display since between the parenthesis in your example it deals about the y line.

Best,
Charlie