change x-axis values

[Nico Stappen]

Hey folks,

I am quiet new to stata and want to change my x-axis values (encircled). Now I have 0-40, but I want 01/2019-04/2022 since this is the time period of my data sets obervations.

This is my do-file so far

***ANALYSIS HUBI THESIS***

*Data import*


import excel "/Users/nicolasstappen/Desktop/Nico/Studium/Master/5. Semester/Masterarbeit/Daten/all Data in one file nur ab 2019.xlsx", sheet("Trade values") firstrow case(lower)

codebook // entweder nur codebook oder codebook varname



drop classification // no information and/or variation
drop perioddesc // no info that is not within Period already
drop reportercode // no information and/or variation
drop partnercode // no added information
drop tradeflowcode // no added information

replace tradeflow="exports" if tradeflow=="Exports"
replace tradeflow="imports" if tradeflow=="Imports"
replace tradeflow="reimports" if tradeflow=="Re-imports"

replace reporter="united kingdom" if reporter=="United Kingdom"

replace partner = lower(partner)

gen period_new=.

xtset tradevalueus

replace period_new=1 if period==201901
replace period_new=2 if period==201902
replace period_new=3 if period==201903
replace period_new=4 if period==201904
replace period_new=5 if period==201905
replace period_new=6 if period==201906
replace period_new=7 if period==201907
replace period_new=8 if period==201908
replace period_new=9 if period==201909
replace period_new=10 if period==201910
replace period_new=11 if period==201911
replace period_new=12 if period==201912
replace period_new=13 if period==202001
replace period_new=14 if period==202002
replace period_new=15 if period==202003
replace period_new=16 if period==202004
replace period_new=17 if period==202005
replace period_new=18 if period==202006
replace period_new=19 if period==202007
replace period_new=20 if period==202008
replace period_new=21 if period==202009
replace period_new=22 if period==202010
replace period_new=23 if period==202011
replace period_new=24 if period==202012
replace period_new=25 if period==202101
replace period_new=26 if period==202102
replace period_new=27 if period==202103
replace period_new=28 if period==202104
replace period_new=29 if period==202105
replace period_new=30 if period==202106
replace period_new=31 if period==202107
replace period_new=32 if period==202108
replace period_new=33 if period==202109
replace period_new=34 if period==202110
replace period_new=35 if period==202111
replace period_new=36 if period==202112
replace period_new=37 if period==202201
replace period_new=38 if period==202202
replace period_new=39 if period==202203
replace period_new=40 if period==202204

sort partner
sort period_new

format %100.0g tradevalueus // um e's wegzubekommen

graph twoway line tradevalueus period_new if tradeflow=="exports" & partner=="belgium", c(L) //Graph

I think it might be only one command and i tried xscale, but for whatever reason it doesn't work.

Thanks in advance
Nico

[Nick Cox]

The harder part of the solution has already been explained at length in your previous thread. https://www.statalist.org/forums/for...he-stata-graph

You need a variable that is the monthly date in Stata terms. Your period variable is not fit for purpose as it jumps by 1 for 11 months of the year and by 89 in January.

gen mdate = ym(floor(period/100), mod(period, 100)) 
format mdate %tmNN/CCYY

Now you can plot in terms of that variable. 40 labels or even 40 ticks are likely to be too busy but xlabel() allows other choices.

[Nico Stappen]

I'm sorry I dont get it.

This is my do-file for now:

***ANALYSIS HUBI THESIS***

*Data import*


import excel "/Users/nicolasstappen/Desktop/Nico/Studium/Master/5. Semester/Masterarbeit/Daten/all Data in one file nur ab 2019.xlsx", sheet("Trade values") firstrow case(lower)

codebook // entweder nur codebook oder codebook varname

drop classification // no information and/or variation
drop perioddesc // no info that is not within Period already
drop reportercode // no information and/or variation
drop partnercode // no added information
drop tradeflowcode // no added information

replace tradeflow="exports" if tradeflow=="Exports"
replace tradeflow="imports" if tradeflow=="Imports"
replace tradeflow="reimports" if tradeflow=="Re-imports"

replace reporter="united kingdom" if reporter=="United Kingdom"

replace partner = lower(partner)

gen period_new=.

xtset tradevalueus

gen mdate = ym(floor(period_new/100), mod(period_new, 100)) 
format mdate %tmNN/CCYY

sort partner
sort period_new

format %100.0g tradevalueus // um e's wegzubekommen

graph twoway line tradevalueus period_new if tradeflow=="exports" & partner=="belgium", c(L) //Graph

then the graph is empty

Iguess I need to adjust this command

gen mdate = ym(floor(period_new/100), mod(period_new, 100)) 
format mdate %tmNN/CCYY

to my dataset. I've replaced period with period_new, but the second command I need to adjust, don't I?

Thanks again for your help

[Nick Cox]

You just need to specify mdate as the x axis variable for your plots.

Creating mdate as a new variable has absolutely no effect on the existing variable period_new.

You seem very confused about basic principles. That is understandable in a new user, but evidently you have been struggling with this for some weeks. I suggest trying to find somebody who can help locally, for example someone at your university if you are a student or an academic. It may also help to work through a basic introduction to Stata. Sometimes, and perhaps it is true here, someone has a lot of code but it is mostly copied from somewhere else and you are guessing at what is needed for your own project without understanding anything much. That is not a good strategy.

[Maxence Morlet]

Dear all,

Apologies for reviving this thread.

In #1, with the exact same data as Nico Stappen, suppose one wants to replace the value labels of "period_new" on the x-axis (0,10,20,30,40) with say string names, which would act as value labels (e.g. just to illustrate 0 corresponds to e.g. "COVID19 1st wave", 10 to "COVID19 second wave", etc.), how would one go about doing this?

If another thread discusses this question already, I'm very sorry! I haven't found any so far.

[Nick Cox]

xla(0 "whatever" 10 "you want" 20 "but don't try very long strings as that won't work well")

If your example is close to what you really want then I would do this by added text, not axis labels.

[Maxence Morlet]

Worked a wonder, thank you!