renaming multiple dta files

[Olivia Johns]

I have multiple .dta files with complicated names which i want to substring from and rename to a simple format.
i get the following error:
invalid syntax
r(198);

my command:


clear
set more off
local folder "U:\Blah"
local files : dir "`folder'" files "*.dta"
foreach file of local files {
local name = subinstr("`file'",15,13)
!rename "file" "name"
}

[Friedrich Huebler]

I see two problems here. First, the subinstr function is missing an element because the syntax is:

subinstr(s1,s2,s3,n)

Second, you have to enclose the name of the local name in single quotes.

!rename "file" "`name'"

The information that you posted doesn't show which command returns the "invalid syntax" error. I guess it's related to the use of subinstr but it is not clear. For future reference (and as mentioned here), please follow this advice from the FAQ:

Say exactly what you typed and exactly what Stata typed (or did) in response. N.B. exactly!

Providing complete information makes it easier for other list members to help.