Create a label including prior labels (in a loop)

[Marla Feldwisch]

Dear all,

I am new to using Stata and the forum, so I hope it is okay to post this question here. I couldn't find an answer in my prior research.


I generated new variables using a loop and want to create a label for each of these variables within the loop. My problem now is that I have already labeled the old variables used to create the new variables and want to use their labels in the new labels.

Here is what I have done:

foreach control in spv_s_u3y populationDensity foreigners_share ue_rate GDP_perInhabitant{
forvalues y =2011(1)2019 {
sum(`control'`y')
gen d_`control'`y' = ((`control'`y'-r(mean))/r(sd))
label var d_`control'`y' "`control' in `y' (in SD)"
}
}

E.g. the variable spv_s_u3y is labeled "Shares of children supervised under 3 years in `y'".

The label for the new variable d_spv_s_u3y is now not using the label of spv_s_u3y but the variable name spv_s_u3y.

Is it possible to use the already defined variable label in the label for the new variables without labeling each individually?

Thanks in advance,
Marla Feldwisch

[Maarten Buis]

foreach control in spv_s_u3y populationDensity foreigners_share ue_rate GDP_perInhabitant{
    forvalues y =2011(1)2019 {
        sum(`control'`y')
        gen d_`control'`y' = ((`control'`y'-r(mean))/r(sd))
        label var d_`control'`y' "`: var label `control'' in `y' (in SD)"
    }
}

[Marla Feldwisch]

Thank you! It works perfectly and helps me a lot