Synth package error: file synthopt.plugin not found

[Mica Kurtz]

I am very new to using this package and cannot get even one of the provided examples to work due to an error when the synth command is called: "file synthopt.plugin not found". Simple code:

sysuse synth_smoking, clear
tsset state year
synth cigsale beer(1984(1)1988) lnincome retprice age15to24 cigsale(1988) cigsale(1980) cigsale(1975), trunit(3) trperiod(1989)

I've followed the documentation and the problem seems to be that I am using Windows 10 and the plugin doesn't come with the initial package install. I've found the plugin and can save it to the ado directory, but that doesn't seem to work. There is some note on the author's site mentioning that the plugin needs to be compiled (https://web.stanford.edu/~jhain/fqa.htm), but that is beyond my level of technical knowledge. Can anyone help?

Thanks!

[igor torres]

Hi, Mika. have you solved the problem of synth? I have the same problem.

[Butsuri Shibuya]

I would like to know it either, facing the same problem.

[Dimitriy V. Masterov]

You will need to install a compiler. gcc is good option for Windows. Here's are some toy examples showing this and other options. Make sure you can compile the toy example first. Then you will need to do something very similar to the synthopt.* files.

[Sukrid Peansuwan]

Thank you for your suggestion but I tried to solve the problem above. Then, I followed the instruction. Finally, I failed to do it because it's too technical for me.
Fortunately, I discovered this website below. I coded

. net from "https://web.stanford.edu/~jhain/Synth"
. net install synth, all replace force

The problem is solved. I hope it helps you more or less.

https://www.cer.eu/sites/default/fil...20estimate.pdf

[CarlosL MunozBrenes]

I use the solution @Sukrid Peansuwan proposed and worked for me. Thanks!
Carlos

[Taiwo Akinyemi]

I used the solution @Sukrid Peansuwan, and it worked for me. Although I needed to update the stata14.2, I was using first. Thanks!

[Mead Over]

Hainmueller explains on his software page that his -synth- package for Stata has several pre-compiled plugins and that installation automatically installs the correct plugin depending on the user's operating system.

https://web.stanford.edu/~jhain/synthpage.html

Apparently newer Macs now use a CPU chip from ARM instead of one from Intel.

https://www.laptopmag.com/news/intel-vs-arm-macs

According to a student with a new Mac, -synth- installation failed with the same error message reported in post #1 above. I am guessing that the -synth- package does not include among its pre-compiled plugins, one that is compatible for these newest Macs with the Arm chip. Until Hainmueller adds that Arm version of his plugin to his Stata -synth- package, a user with an ARM CPU chip may have to recompile the -synth- plugin for their own operating system.