Name conflict error after collapse

[Ivica Rubil]

Hi everyone:

When I run this command:

        collapse (mean) idhh_11 idorighh ///
                        optionI ///
                        choiceI ///
                        choice ///
                        hI LI ///                
                        ardens arintr arthin  ///
                        hsize purehh dwt* Nflexindi* ///
                        Nchild18 Nadult18 Nchild25 ///                    
                 (sum)  ConsumPB1-ConsumPB50 ///
                        grossincPB1 grossincPM1 grossincPF1  ///
                        nettaxPB1 nettaxPM1 nettaxPF1 ///
                        yempI ///
                        ygro* yemptot* ysemtot* ycontot* ymot* yprotot* ycaptot* ypentot* nept* ydis* sic* tax* ben* ///
                        wageAC wagePM1 wagePF1 sme smn sfe sfn ///
                        ageI agesqI lnageI lnagesqI ///
                        decmakIM decmakIF decmakI ///
                        nch00I nch01I nch02I nch03I nch04I nch05I nch06I nch07I nch08I nch09I /// 
                        nch10I nch11I nch12I nch13I nch14I nch15I nch16I nch17I nch18I        ///                     
                        edyearI  edyrsqI ///
                        hslima1I hslima2I wexpI wexpsqI  ///                    
                        peak* flexindi* drgurI drgmdI educLI educMI educHI incothmem educNoI educPriI educSecLI educSecHI educUniI citiI /// 
                        age38_10 age38sq_100 /// 
                 , by(idhh)

I get the following error message:

error:
       ygroPB1 = (sum) ygroPB1
       ygroPB1 = (sum) ygroPB1
name conflict
r(198);

I must say here that for the variables ygro* yemptot* ysemtot* ycontot* ymot* yprotot* ycaptot* ypentot* nept* ydis* sic* tax* ben* the rest of the name is PB1 to PB50 (for each of them).

When I remove ygro* from the varlist, the same error message appears but for the variable yemptot*. And the same goes all the way to ben*.

Moreover, when I remove all these variables (ygro* yemptot* ysemtot* ycontot* ymot* yprotot* ycaptot* ypentot* nept* ydis* sic* tax* ben*), the error message now appears for the variable grossincPB1, and when I remove this variable, the last variable causing the error is nettaxPB1. Once I remove the latter, the command runs well.

Does anyone have a clue what is going on - I'm very confused, especially with the fact that grossincPB1 and nettaxPB1 cause a problem ONLY after I remove ygro* yemptot* ysemtot* ycontot* ymot* yprotot* ycaptot* ypentot* nept* ydis* sic* tax* ben*.

(Sorry for this possibly messy description of my issue but I don't know how to describe it in a different way. I hope it's clear enough.)

Thank you for your time.

Best,
Ivica

[Nick Cox]

You don't think you're asking for the same summary twice, but Stata thinks you are. The explanation I guess at is that the range

  
 ConsumPB1-ConsumPB50

includes more variables than you think it does, as you should check with

  
 d ConsumPB1-ConsumPB50

That is, you may want to refer to ConsumPB* at that point.

[Ivica Rubil]

Thank you, Nick; your guess was right. I should avoid the slippery slope of using ranges in varlists.