stretched out strings

[Alyssa Beavers]

Good morning,

I am having an issue with what I am called "stretched out strings" for some values of a variable, i.e. it looks like there is a space between each character of some observations when I tabulate the variable. Additionally, when I try to merge with another dataset on this variable, the stretched out ones do not merge but all of the non-stretched out observations do merge. However, when I view the data in the Data Editor window, they do not appear stretched out. Additionally, if I try to remove spaces using the following code, no replacements are made, so that would signify to me that there aren't actually any spaces in there.

replace Store_ID=subinstr(Store_ID, " ","",.)

Could someone please help me figure out how to get these values to be "normal" so that I can get them to merge with the other dataset?

Please find my dataex below. The first dataset is the one that has the stretched out observations. A few examples of the obesrvations that appear stretched out are FRF011551, FRF101282, FRF075118, FRF028750. The dataset below that is the one that I am trying to merge with. Only one observation in that dataset appears stretched out: FRF088492

* Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
clear
input str33 Store_ID
"FRF011221"                        
"FRF085623"                        
"FRF099583"                        
"FRF092913"                        
"F​R​F​0​5​1​4​4​4"
"FRF112025"                        
"FRF027392"                        
"F​R​F​0​7​9​5​0​0"
"FRF088264"                        
"FRF088848"                        
"FRF011490"                        
"FRF024031"                        
"FRF115982"                        
"FRE113229"                        
"FRF108314"                        
"F​R​F​0​9​3​3​7​5"
"F​R​F​0​8​8​4​9​2"
"FRF033299"                        
"F​R​F​0​8​6​7​7​6"
"FRF087006"                        
"FRF093061"                        
"FRF094473"                        
"FRF091492"                        
"F​R​F​0​7​5​1​1​8"
"FRF094808"                        
"FRF027757"                        
"FRF112632"                        
"FRF093458"                        
"FRF113274"                        
"FRF055965"                        
"FRF114695"                        
"FRF050883"                        
"FRF011476"                        
"FRF087700"                        
"FRE117482"                        
"FRF083453"                        
"FRF095120"                        
"FRF085100"                        
"FRF115910"                        
"FRF112007"                        
"F​R​F​0​1​1​5​5​1"
"FRF111479"                        
"FRF117540"                        
"FRF049572"                        
"FRF110107"                        
"FRF092094"                        
"FRF091798"                        
"FRE067646"                        
"FRF074457"                        
"F​R​F​1​0​1​2​8​2"
"F​R​F​0​2​8​7​5​0"
"FRF011480"                        
"FRF085898"                        
"FRF094546"                        
"FRF116819"                        
"FRE112387"                        
"F​R​F​0​5​4​9​8​5"
"FRF024521"                        
"FRF085741"                        
"F​R​F​0​7​3​8​9​2"
"FRF012206"                        
"FRF011829"                        
"FRF100252"                        
"FRF087766"                        
"FRF095675"                        
"FRF011105"                        
"FRF092405"                        
"FRF089734"                        
"F​R​F​1​1​0​3​4​9"
"FRF085591"                        
"FRF118703"                        
"F​R​F​1​0​9​1​1​0"
end

* Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
clear
input str41 Store_ID
"FRF093375"                        
"FRF114695"                        
"FRF086776"                        
"FRF115910"                        
"FRF092913"                        
"FRF085623"                        
"FRF011105"                        
"FRF079500"                        
"FRF011480"                        
"FRF100252"                        
"FRF051444"                        
"FRF091798"                        
"FRF027392"                        
"FRF088848"                        
"FRF055965"                        
"FRF108314"                        
"FRF024521"                        
"FRF094808"                        
"FRF087006"                        
"FRF112007"                        
"FRF110107"                        
"FRF092094"                        
"FRF028750"                        
"FRF050883"                        
"FRF117540"                        
"FRF099583"                        
"FRF101282"                        
"FRF092405"                        
"FRF011551"                        
"FRF113274"                        
"FRF085591"                        
"FRF089734"                        
"FRF094473"                        
"FRF085898"                        
"FRF073892"                        
"FRF116819"                        
"FRF088264"                        
"FRF112632"                        
"FRF049572"                        
"FRF110349"                        
"FRF024031"                        
"FRF011221"                        
"FRF091492"                        
"FRF112025"                        
"FRE067646"                        
"FRF054985"                        
"FRF011476"                        
"FRE112387"                        
"FRF011829"                        
"FRF083453"                        
"FRF095120"                        
"FRF087766"                        
"FRF085741"                        
"F​R​F​0​8​8​4​9​2"
"FRF087700"                        
"FRF111479"                        
end

[Clyde Schechter]

. * Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
. clear

. input str33 Store_ID

                              Store_ID
  1. "FRF011221"                        
  2. "FRF085623"                        
  3. "FRF099583"                        
  4. "FRF092913"                        
  5. "F​R​F​0​5​1​4​4​4"
  6. "FRF112025"                        
  7. "FRF027392"                        
  8. "F​R​F​0​7​9​5​0​0"
  9. "FRF088264"                        
 10. "FRF088848"                        
 11. "FRF011490"                        
 12. "FRF024031"                        
 13. "FRF115982"                        
 14. "FRE113229"                        
 15. "FRF108314"                        
 16. "F​R​F​0​9​3​3​7​5"
 17. "F​R​F​0​8​8​4​9​2"
 18. "FRF033299"                        
 19. "F​R​F​0​8​6​7​7​6"
 20. "FRF087006"                        
 21. "FRF093061"                        
 22. "FRF094473"                        
 23. "FRF091492"                        
 24. "F​R​F​0​7​5​1​1​8"
 25. "FRF094808"                        
 26. "FRF027757"                        
 27. "FRF112632"                        
 28. "FRF093458"                        
 29. "FRF113274"                        
 30. "FRF055965"                        
 31. "FRF114695"                        
 32. "FRF050883"                        
 33. "FRF011476"                        
 34. "FRF087700"                        
 35. "FRE117482"                        
 36. "FRF083453"                        
 37. "FRF095120"                        
 38. "FRF085100"                        
 39. "FRF115910"                        
 40. "FRF112007"                        
 41. "F​R​F​0​1​1​5​5​1"
 42. "FRF111479"                        
 43. "FRF117540"                        
 44. "FRF049572"                        
 45. "FRF110107"                        
 46. "FRF092094"                        
 47. "FRF091798"                        
 48. "FRE067646"                        
 49. "FRF074457"                        
 50. "F​R​F​1​0​1​2​8​2"
 51. "F​R​F​0​2​8​7​5​0"
 52. "FRF011480"                        
 53. "FRF085898"                        
 54. "FRF094546"                        
 55. "FRF116819"                        
 56. "FRE112387"                        
 57. "F​R​F​0​5​4​9​8​5"
 58. "FRF024521"                        
 59. "FRF085741"                        
 60. "F​R​F​0​7​3​8​9​2"
 61. "FRF012206"                        
 62. "FRF011829"                        
 63. "FRF100252"                        
 64. "FRF087766"                        
 65. "FRF095675"                        
 66. "FRF011105"                        
 67. "FRF092405"                        
 68. "FRF089734"                        
 69. "F​R​F​1​1​0​3​4​9"
 70. "FRF085591"                        
 71. "FRF118703"                        
 72. "F​R​F​1​0​9​1​1​0"
 73. "FRF093375"                        
 74. "FRF114695"                        
 75. "FRF086776"                        
 76. "FRF115910"                        
 77. "FRF092913"                        
 78. "FRF085623"                        
 79. "FRF011105"                        
 80. "FRF079500"                        
 81. "FRF011480"                        
 82. "FRF100252"                        
 83. "FRF051444"                        
 84. "FRF091798"                        
 85. "FRF027392"                        
 86. "FRF088848"                        
 87. "FRF055965"                        
 88. "FRF108314"                        
 89. "FRF024521"                        
 90. "FRF094808"                        
 91. "FRF087006"                        
 92. "FRF112007"                        
 93. "FRF110107"                        
 94. "FRF092094"                        
 95. "FRF028750"                        
 96. "FRF050883"                        
 97. "FRF117540"                        
 98. "FRF099583"                        
 99. "FRF101282"                        
100. "FRF092405"                        
101. "FRF011551"                        
102. "FRF113274"                        
103. "FRF085591"                        
104. "FRF089734"                        
105. "FRF094473"                        
106. "FRF085898"                        
107. "FRF073892"                        
108. "FRF116819"                        
109. "FRF088264"                        
110. "FRF112632"                        
111. "FRF049572"                        
112. "FRF110349"                        
113. "FRF024031"                        
114. "FRF011221"                        
115. "FRF091492"                        
116. "FRF112025"                        
117. "FRE067646"                        
118. "FRF054985"                        
119. "FRF011476"                        
120. "FRE112387"                        
121. "FRF011829"                        
122. "FRF083453"                        
123. "FRF095120"                        
124. "FRF087766"                        
125. "FRF085741"                        
126. "F​R​F​0​8​8​4​9​2"
127. "FRF087700"                        
128. "FRF111479"                        
129. end

.
. replace Store_ID = subinstr(Store_ID, "`=uchar(8203)'", "", .)
(14 real changes made)

You might well ask, how I knew that the problem was being caused by Unicode character 8203? After loading the example data, I ran:

. chartab Store_ID

   decimal  hexadecimal   character |     frequency    unique name
------------------------------------+----------------------------------------
        48       \u0030       0     |           155    DIGIT ZERO
        49       \u0031       1     |           132    DIGIT ONE
        50       \u0032       2     |            68    DIGIT TWO
        51       \u0033       3     |            42    DIGIT THREE
        52       \u0034       4     |            63    DIGIT FOUR
        53       \u0035       5     |            67    DIGIT FIVE
        54       \u0036       6     |            34    DIGIT SIX
        55       \u0037       7     |            59    DIGIT SEVEN
        56       \u0038       8     |            76    DIGIT EIGHT
        57       \u0039       9     |            72    DIGIT NINE
        69       \u0045       E     |             6    LATIN CAPITAL LETTER E
        70       \u0046       F     |           250    LATIN CAPITAL LETTER F
        82       \u0052       R     |           128    LATIN CAPITAL LETTER R
     8,203       \u200b       ​     |           112    ZERO WIDTH SPACE
------------------------------------+----------------------------------------

                                    freq. count   distinct
ASCII characters              =           1,152         13
Multibyte UTF-8 characters    =             112          1
Unicode replacement character =               0          0
Total Unicode characters      =           1,264         14

[emphasis added]
-chartab- is written by Robert Picard and is available from SSC. It is a fabulously handy tool for dealing with problems like this.

[Alyssa Beavers]

Thank you so much, this did the trick!