How can I use the command capture

[Alexandra Otero Flores]

Hey, I want to use command capture to gen the variable years for all my databases that dont have it and then to be able to append them

[William Lisowski]

Perhaps this example will start you in a useful direction. I got it by running

help caoture

and then clicking on the link to the full PDF documentation at the top of the help output and reading the examples.

capture confirm new variable years
if _rc==0 {
    generate years = 1992
}
else {
    display "years already exists on this dataset"
}

[Nick Cox]

Optimists might go

capture generate int years = 1992

as the most likely reason for that to fail (by far) is that years already exists. (The int here shows some care about efficient storage.)