Deleting the last variable while importing excel file into STATA .dta format

[Yerbolat Sailaubek Assylbek]

Dear STATA users,

I'm importing the excel file with multiple worksheets. In each worksheet the number of variables vary. The last variable doesn't have a name but it has the values(grades at some university), something like 20/28, 23/28, 21/28, 25/28 and so on. I tried to drop the variables if it contains the "/" in it. But some error occurs.

The code is this:

cd "C:\Users\yerbolat.assylbekov\Documents\IR\IR Projects\Attendance Records\Datasets\Raw\Fall 2013"
set more off
clear
import excel using "Attendance Fall 2013_", describe
forvalues sheet=1/`=r(N_worksheet)' {
local sheetname=r(worksheet_`sheet')
import excel using "Attendance Fall 2013_", sheet("`sheetname'") allstring clear
gen course = B[1]
order course, first
drop in 1/4
*drop if A=="Student ID"
ds, has(type string)
foreach var of varlist `r(varlist)' {
count if regexm(`var',"/")
if r(N)>0 {
drop `var'
}
save "`sheetname'", replace
}
}



It shows "worksheet . not found".

Could you please help me with that?

[daniel klein]

Is it always the last variable? If so, you want something like

local nvars = c(k)
unab allvars : *
local lastvar : word `nvars' of `allvars'
drop `lastvar'

Alternatively, look at the cellrange() option in import excel.

For the import and saving part, also see xls2dta (SSC).

Best
Daniel

[Yerbolat Sailaubek Assylbek]

Thank you, Daniel.

It's always the last variable, but the number of variables in each sheet vary. Also, in some sheets I need to drop last 2 variables. Is that possible to do somehow?
The last 2 variables have characters "/" and "%". Maybe somehow it's possible to say STATA to drop variable if it contains these two characters. So, it's 1 excel file with multiple worksheets in it.

Sincerely,
Yerbolat