Preserving value labels while recoding?

[Daniel Ram]

I am recoding value labels from numeric to missing values. So a 9 value in some variables is recoded to .a. A 10 value in some variables is recoded to .b etc.

I have found several commands to do this from mvdecode to replace, but none that preserve the value label. Currently all my 10 values have the label "Don't Know/Refused." I want to keep this label, but still recode the 10 value to .b. I don't want to rewrite all the labels for my variables since there are many of them, each with specific labels.

How could I either: (1) Recode the values for a variable while preserving the value label. Or (2) Label all .a, .b etc. missing values with the same label?

[Nick Cox]

You can do something like this.

foreach x in lblname1 lblname2 lblname3 {
      label define `x' .b "Don't know refused" , modify
}

so that the existing value label definitions are left as they were and you are consistently adding a new value label.

What's key here -- although it's widely puzzling the first time you meet it -- is that Stata separates the definition of value labels and their association with variables.

If it is easier you can

loop over variables
---- look up its value labels
---- define a new value label

Note that there is no harm in issuing the same definition twice or more.

[daniel klein]

Also, see elabel from SSC and the examples here.

Best
Daniel