Cutting all but the first two digits of a numeric variable of varying length

[Rosa Blau]

Hello,

I have a numeric variable with values of varying lengths. I would like to cut all but the first two digits of each value (each observation has a value of at least two digits). This is likely very simple, but I can't find the right command. See my data below.

* Example generated by -dataex-. To install: ssc install dataex
clear
input long indnaics_num
    622
   5413
 443142
     23
 812112
    622
   6212
   6111
   7220
   7220
   5614
  22110
   8131
  42490
   7211
   7211
  56173
   3360
  56173
   6210
   5411
   6244
    481
    622
   6230
   9200
   8131
   9280
   9280
     23
    622
   6241
  44410
   8131
   7130
   6231
     23
   6212
   3221
   4451
     23
   5613
    310
    622
   7220
     23
     23
  51110
   7220
    447
   5170
   6214
  61101
   6211
  61103
   5202
 812112
   7220
   4481
   5170
   5413
   8123
   6231
 339900
   7220
     23
   6230
   7220
    220
    220
    622
   6111
    923
   9201
3364101
   5170
   8129
   4231
   5220
   7220
   3231
     23
   6230
   5122
   7130
    622
  22110
   6214
  54190
   8131
    622
    337
  33330
    622
  56173
   6111
 811192
   9280
   6111
   3360
end

Best of thanks for your time and consideration

[Joseph Coveney]

You could

replace indnaics_num = real(substr(string(indnaics_num), 1, 2))

[Nick Cox]

You must be an economist, as economists usually assume that everyone else knows their kind of economics, or should. NAICS I know only a smidgen about, as a non-economist. I guess these codes are integers and wildly I am going to guess that they don't go above a trillion.

gen wanted = substr(string(indnaics_num, "%12.0f"), 1, 2)

should get the first two characters and if you want them as integers, you need to push them through real().

[Rosa Blau]

Thanks Joseph Coveney, that worked perfectly.

@Nick, thanks for parsing the command, I understand it better now. As for assumptions, I'm a sociologist, but will give more details of my variables next time.

[Nick Cox]

I am a geographer, and nobody even makes jokes about geographers unless it's about their supposed fashion sense (often in question, it's true) or their use of coloured pencils to draw maps by hand (no longer what anyone does).