how to use 'local' function

[Fred Lee]

    local psm SOE i.prodPhaseA i.devFormB i.oprPhaseB hi
    local psm: subinstr local psmtuple "i.*" "",all
    dis "`psm'"

Here is an example. I have a litst of i.* variables, how to use 'local' function to drop all i.* variables?
Thanks!

[Leonardo Guizzetti]

Edit: misread your question.

This can't be done using the macro parsing -subinstr- or similar functions because they don't allow for pattern matching. However, you can do this with a simple regular expression.

. local varlist a b i.c i.d e
. local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i.)\w", "", .))
. macro list _newlist
_newlist:       a b e

[Nick Cox]

Note that local is a command, not a function.

[Fred Lee]

Edit: misread your question.

This can't be done using the macro parsing -subinstr- or similar functions because they don't allow for pattern matching. However, you can do this with a simple regular expression.

. local varlist a b i.c i.d e
. local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i.)\w", "", .))
. macro list _newlist
_newlist: a b e

Great, this is what I want. Thanks!

[Fred Lee]

Edit: misread your question.

This can't be done using the macro parsing -subinstr- or similar functions because they don't allow for pattern matching. However, you can do this with a simple regular expression.

. local varlist a b i.c i.d e
. local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i.)\w", "", .))
. macro list _newlist
_newlist: a b e

Oh my god, this is not correct. It also modified "high" in the example.

local varlist a b i.c i.d e high
local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i.)\w", "", .))
macro list _newlist

[Ali Atia]

You just need to escape the period character, otherwise it is interpreted as a wildcard rather than a period:

local varlist a b i.c i.d e high
local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.)\w", "", .))
macro list _newlist

_newlist:       a b e high

[Leonardo Guizzetti]

You're right ... the pattern is not corect. Try this instead

. local varlist a b i.c i._d e high i.high i.island island
. local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.[_0-9a-z]+)", "", .))
. macro list _newlist
_newlist:       a b e high island

[Fred Lee]

You just need to escape the period character, otherwise it is interpreted as a wildcard rather than a period:

local varlist a b i.c i.d e high
local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.)\w", "", .))
macro list _newlist

_newlist: a b e high

Thanks, yet also something wrong:

local varlist firmAge  SOE i.prodPhaseA i.devFormB
local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.)\w", "", .))
macro list _newlist

[Ali Atia]

local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.)[^ ]*", "", .))

[Leonardo Guizzetti]

You just need to escape the period character, otherwise it is interpreted as a wildcard rather than a period:

local varlist a b i.c i.d e high
local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.)\w", "", .))
macro list _newlist

_newlist: a b e high

Thanks Ali Atia .

The alternative to what I was trying to do:

local newlist = stritrim(ustrregexra("`varlist'", "(i\.)\w+", "", .))

[Fred Lee]

Thank you both @Leonardo Guizzetti @Ali Atia, I need to try to learn the regular expression.