How to return a list into local variable within a program

[Chun Kit Dai]

Hi Stata,

How can I return a list into a local variable within a program? See example below
I am defining a program.do file and run the programs in a main analysis do file
I come from R, so I apologise in advance if this is a stupid question for STATA.

program list_generator
    arg myfilter

   qui levelsof myvariable if filtervariable == `myfilter', local(mylist)

   return mylist // here i don't know how to pass the local back to the main script
   end

[Mike Lacy]

-help return- reveals and describes the -return local- command, which likely will do what you want.