Error when trying to generate new variable

[Guo Pei]

Hi

I experienced an error when trying to generate a new variable for distance using geodist.

Here is the command 'geodist -73.147705 -36.824261 -73.146629 -36.838622, gen(d)'

Here is the error message that I see 'lat/lon are not variables, nothing to generate'.

Does anyone know how I can address this?

I am also wondering how we should use the variable in the dta files. For instance, if column D is longitude1, column E is latitude1, and column H is longitude2, column I is latitude2, is there any way we can loop the geodist? e.g. geodist D E H I, gen(d)', which does not work.

I also tried 'gen d= geodist -73.147705 -36.824261 -73.146629 -36.838622' but got the error message 'geodist not found'


Thank you!

[Maarten Buis]

In Stata variables are the columns in a data set. What you have done is given geodist numers rather than variables. Variables are required when you use the generate() option, so now the error message makes sense: it expected the latitude and longitude in variables and you did not give it in that form.

geodist D E H I, gen(d) should work assuming D E H I are appropriate variables, which we cannot know as you did not give us an extract from the data (see help dataex).

geodist with the generate() option will do the looping automatically. In Stata we very very very rarely loop over observations. It is so rare that it is pretty much a guarantee that you are doing something wrong when you loop over observations.

[Guo Pei]

Thanks so much for the reply! I tried the command 'geodist Caleta_longitude Caleta_latitude Feria_longitude Feria_latitude, ' and got 'Was expecting a variable, scalar, or number instead of Caleta_longitude'. I have attached both screenshots of the dta file as well as STATA command. Will you happen to have any insights? Thank you!

[Nick Cox]

Please do read advice in the FAQ on not posting screenshots. http://www.statalist.org/forums/help#stata 12.5

Your latitude and longitude variables are string variables given the header line in observation 1. Stata is not a spreadsheet application in which you can sprinkle data cells with metadata as if you were in Excel.

Try

drop in 1/2 
destring *ude, replace

[Guo Pei]

Hi I apologize for this. Thanks so much for the kind assistance!