How to Save a File After a String Value

[Cameron Sublett]

Hello. This should be rather easy for folks here, but I am stymied.

I have a rather simple dataset; 4 columns, 1 row:

county state fips year
1 Alachua_County FL 12001 2015

I am wanting to save this file using the contents within county[1], i.e., "Alachua_County." I am using the following commands:

local county "county[1]"
di `county'
save "C:/.../`county'.dta", replace

However, this does not work. What I get is a file saved as county[1].dta. What I am wanting is a file saved as Alachua_County.dta.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[Clyde Schechter]

local county = county[1]
save "C:/.../`county'.dta", replace

Your original command, -local county "county[1]" just sets the value of county to the string "county[1]", not to "Alachua_County". So, the subsequent -save- command created a file called county[1].dta. To get the value of county[1] stored in local macro county, not the string "county[1]", you need that equals sign in the command.

[Cameron Sublett]

Thank you, Clyde. With great appreciation.