please help variable __000000 already defined

[Busi Molefe]

when i try to collapse to get share of large firms, by country and year

stata returns an error saying variable __000000 already define

below is the command written in the do-file :

collapse (mean) maxyear (sum) one large1 large2, by(country year)

please assist me where possible

[Nick Cox]

Have a look at the variable

tab __000000  

su __000000

If it looks interesting or useful, keep it under another name:

rename __000000 somethingelse

Otherwise

drop __000000

and try again.

[Busi Molefe]

when i drop the variable and continue running my do-file it breaks and then says variable _00000 not found

[Nick Cox]

I can't answer that so easily.

__000000

is the name of a temporary variable. It's possible that your do-file creates a temporary variable beforehand. The way to find out is to look at it for the key term tempvar (or just possibly tempname).

We would need to see that code.

How long is your do-file? If it is 3 or 30 lines, show it here. If it is 300 or 3000 or ..., it's less likely that even if you posted it, anyone would want to read it all, but showing us any use of temporary variables might help.

Otherwise I am out of guesses.

[Busi Molefe]

My do-file doesn't have tempvar or tempname.

my do file is 177 lines.

This is what my do-file looks like (not all of it though)

so immediately when stata gets to the first collapse command it gives me those errors

clear
set more off
set type double
drop _all

capture do "C:\Busi\code\setpath.do"


cd "$root\data_cleaned"
log using "3_dta.log", replace

use "crosscountry_prepped.dta", clear


************************************************** *****************************
************************ 3a) LARGE FIRM SHARES ********************************
************************************************** *****************************

//large firm shares
preserve
//collapse to get share of large firms, by country and year

collapse (mean) maxyear (sum) one large1 large2, by(country year)
gen large1share = large1/one*100
gen large2share = large2/one*100
label var large1share "Share of large firms, 100+ empl. (in %)"
label var large2share "Share of large firms, 300+ empl. (in %)"
//export share of large firms in maxyear, by country
keep if year == maxyear
keep country year large1share large2share
export excel using $output\part3\tables, sheetreplace sheet("shares_large_maxyear") firstrow(varlabels)
restore
preserve
//collapse to get average share of large firms, by country
collapse (sum) one large1 large2, by(country)
gen large1share=large1/one*100
gen large2share=large2/one*100
label var large1share "Share of large firms, 100+ empl. (in %)"
label var large2share "Share of large firms, 300+ empl. (in %)"
keep country large1share large2share
export excel using "$output\part3\tables", sheetreplace sheet("shares_large_mean") firstrow(varlabels)
restore

[Nick Cox]

Show us the results of

use crosscountry_prepped.dta
describe

[Busi Molefe]

i cant copy the whole thing it wont allow me to do it even when i try copying it as a picture

[Nick Cox]

If you type those commands you will see results (text printed in the Results window). That's all I am asking for. Here is something similar from my Stata. I highlighted a block of text and copied and pasted into the Statalist software using CODE delimiters. Do please read FAQ Advice #12.

. sysuse auto, clear
(1978 Automobile Data)

. describe

Contains data from C:\Program Files\Stata15\ado\base/a/auto.dta
  obs:            74                          1978 Automobile Data
 vars:            12                          13 Apr 2016 17:45
 size:         3,182                          (_dta has notes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              storage   display    value
variable name   type    format     label      variable label
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
make            str18   %-18s                 Make and Model
price           int     %8.0gc                Price
mpg             int     %8.0g                 Mileage (mpg)
rep78           int     %8.0g                 Repair Record 1978
headroom        float   %6.1f                 Headroom (in.)
trunk           int     %8.0g                 Trunk space (cu. ft.)
weight          int     %8.0gc                Weight (lbs.)
length          int     %8.0g                 Length (in.)
turn            int     %8.0g                 Turn Circle (ft.)
displacement    int     %8.0g                 Displacement (cu. in.)
gear_ratio      float   %6.2f                 Gear Ratio
foreign         byte    %8.0g      origin     Car type
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorted by: foreign

[Busi Molefe]

Hi Nick

im so sorry for taking long to respond i finally figured out a way to send you my data because i have been struggling with that. i ended up changing the variable names like you suggested and it worked. however today i'm faced with another problem.

i keep on encountering a "unmatched quote" error when trying to use the twoway command in a loop. attached is a 3 pictures (the data set, the do file and the error msg)

[Busi Molefe]

please help where possible. thanks

[Nick Cox]

The reason you got the "unmatched quote" message is an unmatched quote. Code posted as images is not always easy to read or work with but the part of the code starting

label(2

looks wrong to me.

[Busi Molefe]

i'm so sorry for that.

is it a spacing issue or?

[Nick Cox]

No; it looks like an unmatched quote. Sometimes Stata gets confused, but it's best to look for an unmatched quote given that message.

I see what looks like

label 2 "surviving firms, T-5

and I see no closing quote.

If your image has truncated your code, then please re-post your graph command as copied-and-pasted text.

[William Lisowski]

Nick's comment in posts #11 and #13 is based on your third picture in post #9. But the second picture shows what the code was that was being run; your third picture chops off the rightmost edge of the Stata output, and Nick did not realize this.

I'm going to take a step back. In the first topic you posted on Statalist you told us

this is my first time using stata

and

i was told to just run do-files. so basically i am doing something i don't understand and trying to figure out why some of the do-files break and making sure they run

Assistance of this sort is not a good match for Statalist. Your problems are not with Stata commands that we can help you with, your problems are with a group of do-files written by someone else, do-files that we have no access to nor understanding of.

You should be seeking help from the authors of the do-files, or from the persons who assigned you the task of running the do-files. If that help is not available, then this task is not an appropriate assignment for someone new to Stata.

I will note that the code you show us above includes the global macro $output, which perhaps has embedded with it an unmatched quote. But that's just a guess, because the code you show in post #9 starts 53 lines into the do-file you are running. We don't know how $output was created or what it contains.

I am sorry to be unable to help with this. When you are writing Stata do-files of your own, Statalist will be in a better position to help you, because you will have a better understanding of what you have written.

[Nick Cox]

William is right. I suspect that you need to show us the local macro countries. Any name like "Czech Republic" in double quotes needs extra care. On the other hand, if you have inherited these do files did they work previously?