Data editor: How to adjust column width?

[Jan Biermann]

Hi everybody,

I wasn't able to find a solution. I want to be able to properly read the value labels, but the column width is too small.

Thanks!
Jan

[William Lisowski]

Despite the fact that your data has value labels, the width of the column is apparently controlled by the numeric format assigned to the variable. If you change the format before opening the browser, the width of the column will be adjusted. Here's an example of creating, rather than solving, the problem you've experienced.

. sysuse auto
(1978 Automobile Data)

. browse make foreign in 1/5

. format foreign %4.0g

. browse make foreign in 1/5

[Jan Biermann]

Thank you so much William!

That was exactly what I was looking for!

[Chris Boulis]

Thank you so much William, that helped me too.

[Jonathan Hodgins]

Thank you William!

[Tyson Van Alfen]

The previously mentioned format option is a good one. Another option is to set the column width characteristic. I like this option because the implementation is the same for both string and numeric variables. For example,

sysuse sandstone, clear

char depth[_de_col_width_] 8
char type[_de_col_width_] 16

[Paul Obermann]

I really like the solution using the width characteristics. Here is a simple program that I have started to add to all my do files to quickly resize all columns and browse more easily. Hope somebody else will find it useful.

capture program drop resizeCol
program define resizeCol
    quietly: ds
    local vars `r(varlist)'
    foreach v of local vars {
        char `v'[_de_col_width_] 12
    }
end

[James Everson]

The previously mentioned format option is a good one. Another option is to set the column width characteristic. I like this option because the implementation is the same for both string and numeric variables. For example,

sysuse sandstone, clear

char depth[_de_col_width_] 8
char type[_de_col_width_] 16

Where did you find the '_de_col_width_' charname to use here?

[Rune Schmidt Qvist]

Where did you find the '_de_col_width_' charname to use here?

https://www.stata.com/manuals/u12.pd...haracteristics. Note: more info linked at the end of the section.

[James Everson]

https://www.stata.com/manuals/u12.pd...haracteristics. Note: more info linked at the end of the section.

Thank you!

[L Rainen]

I really like the solution using the width characteristics. Here is a simple program that I have started to add to all my do files to quickly resize all columns and browse more easily. Hope somebody else will find it useful.

capture program drop resizeCol
program define resizeCol
quietly: ds
local vars `r(varlist)'
foreach v of local vars {
char `v'[_de_col_width_] 12
}
end

Wow... been looking for this answer for a long time... thanks!!

[James Hassell (StataCorp)]

You can resize variable columns directly in the Data Editor by selecting 1 or more columns using the variable-column headers, then resizing any of those selected columns by dragging the resize divider between the columns. The new sizes will be recorded as characteristic of the resized variables as previously indicated by others. Any modified characteristics will be saved with the dataset.

To resize a single column, no selection is required.

[Lawrence LaPlue]

.