How to generate string variable from numeric variable

[Luke Korir]

I have a dataset with a variable named activity_id with each unique observation having values that range from 1/7: How can I easily generate a string variable named activity_code without the repetitive replace as follows?

g activity_code=""
replace activity_code="a" if activity_id==1
replace activity_code="b" if activity_id==2
replace activity_code="c" if activity_id==3
replace activity_code="d" if activity_id==4
replace activity_code="e" if activity_id==5
replace activity_code="f" if activity_id==6
replace activity_code="g" if activity_id==7

[Rich Goldstein]

if you have labelled these, you can use -decode-; if you have not labelled them you should do so as that is probably what you actually want rather than a string variable (just a guess as you don't say why you want this to be a string variable); see

help decode
help label (look for the section on value labels)

[Marcos Almeida]

Welcome to the Stata Forum / Statalist,


Since there is not data shared, this is just a general advice : you may - decode - the variable, create a label, than - encode - with the label() option.

[Luke Korir]

Thanks Rich and Marcos.

[Nick Cox]

Good advice given, but FWIW your code example boils down to

g activity_code = word("a b c d e f g", activity_id)

[Marcos Almeida]

The command shared in #5 by Nick was quite new to me. I mean, the use of - word - as a function.

There is an example (example 2) in the Stata Manual, but it uses the string variable "name" and selects a parcel of the sentence. Here, it goes far beyond, since it dovetails a given set of letters to a given set of numbers of a different variable.

I'm glad to become aware of this possibiity!

[Nick Cox]

Consider also the possibilities implied by

. di "`c(alpha)'"
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

. di "`c(ALPHA)'"
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

. cret li

<stuff omitted> 

               c(alpha) = "a b c d e f g h i.."
               c(ALPHA) = "A B C D E F G H I.."
                c(Mons) = "Jan Feb Mar Apr M.."
              c(Months) = "January February .."
               c(Wdays) = "Sun Mon Tue Wed T.."
            c(Weekdays) = "Sunday Monday Tue.."

[Luke Korir]

Thanks Nick