Using macros to define directories

[Mantasha Husain]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to define directories in a do file . Our team uses Box Sync to share work folders, and my code to define file paths is as follows:


local corredor=c(username)

if "`corredor'"=="jasle" {
global data="C:\Users\jasle\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
}

if "`corredor'"=="mcb76" {
global data="C:\Users\mcb76\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
}


global input= "$data\data_raw"
global output="$data\output"
global do = "$data\do_files"

*defining the dataset
use "$input\scoping\listing\listing_raw_15-10-2018.dta"



But this gives me an error: file \data_raw\scoping\listing\listing_raw_15-10-2018.dta not found, which probably means that it is not picking up anything from global data.

The above system works perfectly when I used it on Dropbox for a different work team. May I know what's going wrong here?

Thanks!

[Nick Cox]

Just before your use statement type the command

macro list

to see what Stata thinks are your defined global and local macros.

[Mantasha Husain]

Hi Nick,

This is what I typed (I have added another user), but the macro list picks up the first username on my computer, whereas, the file paths on my computer display the third username (C:\Users\jasle\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\do_files\scoping\listing). Someone else used my computer before and set it up with their name (username jasle), whereas the macros pickup the username Mantasha Husain, and say that the file was not found. Is this a system issue, and not a Stata one?

local corredor=c(username)

.
. if "`corredor'"=="Mantasha Husain" {
. global data="C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
. }

.
. if "`corredor'"=="mcb76" {
. global data="C:\Users\mcb76\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
. }

.
. if "`corredor'"=="jasle" {
. global data="C:\Users\jasle\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
. }

.
. global input= "$data\data_raw"

. global output="$data\output"

. global do = "$data\do_files"

.
.
. macro list
do: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\do_files
output: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\output
input: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\data_raw
data: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data
S_level: 95
F1: help advice;
F2: describe;
F7: save
F8: use
S_ADO: BASE;SITE;.;PERSONAL;PLUS;OLDPLACE
S_StataSE: SE
S_FLAVOR: Intercooled
S_OS: Windows
S_OSDTL: 64-bit
S_MACH: PC (64-bit x86-64)
_corredor: Mantasha Husain

. use "$input\scoping\listing\listing_raw_15-10-2018.dta"
file C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\data_raw\scoping\listing\listing_raw_ 15-10-2018.dta
not found

[Nick Cox]

In your report there is a space in one instance, not in the other. Look again at

\listing_raw_15-10-2018.dta
\listing_raw_ 15-10-2018.dta

[Mantasha Husain]

Yeah, but that's not an issue. Must be a typo when I pasted the thing here. This is what it looks like:

. local corredor=c(username)

.
.
. if "`corredor'"=="Mantasha Husain" {
. global data="C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
. }

.
.
. if "`corredor'"=="mcb76" {
. global data="C:\Users\mcb76\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
. }

.
.
. if "`corredor'"=="jasle" {
. global data="C:\Users\jasle\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data"
. }

.
.
. global input= "$data\data_raw"

. global output="$data\output"

. global do = "$data\do_files"

.
.
.
. macro list
do: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\do_files
output: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\output
input: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\data_raw
data: C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data
S_level: 95
F1: help advice;
F2: describe;
F7: save
F8: use
S_ADO: BASE;SITE;.;PERSONAL;PLUS;OLDPLACE
S_StataSE: SE
S_FLAVOR: Intercooled
S_OS: Windows
S_OSDTL: 64-bit
S_MACH: PC (64-bit x86-64)
_corredor: Mantasha Husain

. use "$input\scoping\listing\listing_raw_15-10-2018.dta"
file C:\Users\Mantasha Husain\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\data_raw\scoping\listing\listing_raw_ 15-10-2018.dta
not found




The file is in this folder on my laptop: C:\Users\jasle\Box Sync\PMMVY Project\Data\data_raw\scoping\listing

I think this is a system issue, don't know how to sort it out with Stata though

[Nick Cox]

Sorry, but I can see nothing wrong with your Stata syntax and necessarily know nothing about your files or set-up generally.

[Mantasha Husain]

No worries, thanks a lot Nick!

[Alan Riley (StataCorp)]

I would start debugging this by just working interactively in Stata. Start with just trying to cd, in Stata, to the directory where the file is stored and see if you get an error along the way:

cd C:
cd \Users
cd jasle
cd "Box Sync"
cd "PMMVY Project"
cd Data
cd data_raw
cd scoping
cd listing

Assuming that works, now see if you can see any files within that directory in Stata:

dir

Assuming you see the file there, now try to use it

use listing_raw_15-10-2018.dta

The error you reported in your first post above makes it look like global data was never defined, but your later posts make it look like Stata simply can't find the directory or the file within the directory. Hopefully the steps above will help you find what is going wrong.

Also check permissions on the file of interest.