Counting files in a directory: why is there always one too many?

[Gobinda Natak]

Dear Statatlist,

I am using Stata 13 on a Windows 10 PC and have a number of data sets in a folder that I would like to append:

cd "prepared data"

local filelist : dir . files "*.dta"  // Create local with all filenames ending with ".dta"
di `filelist'

local first : word 1 of `filelist'      // Identify first file
di "`first'"

local total_ : word count of `filelist' // Indentify total number of files
di `total_'        

use "`first'", clear
forvalues x = 2/`total_' {
    di "`x'"
    local y : word `x' of `filelist'
    append using "`y'"
}

However, this doesn't work -- the word count of `filelist' is always one too many. Is there a reason for this?

Thanks for your consideration
Go

[Carole J. Wilson]

Remove the "of" in your word count command. Stata is reading this as an extra string:

local total_ : word count  `filelist'

[Gobinda Natak]

Thank you so much, I would have never figured that out.

Best regards
Gobinda