Error "file handle already exists" - Dropping file handle

[Scott Rick]

Hi. I am trying to run the code below, and it worked fine the first time but then began giving me the error "file handle tableA2 already exists r(110);". I tried "macro drop tableA2" and "clear" at the start and end, but that doesn't solve the problem.

Any help would be much appreciated.

clear

* list of variables
local outcomeVars "rate_con_avg7day rate_rec_avg7day rate_dec_avg7day"

local sets `" "" "_trend" "'

foreach set of local sets {
    
    
    * open file, write header
    file open tableA2 using "${paperdir}\Tables\EScoeff1`set'.csv", write replace

    file write tableA2 "Variable,All states,Early adopters,Late adopters" _n

    foreach sample in outcome {
        
        use "${coeffdir}\coefficients.dta", replace

        * Average effect of all states
        foreach var of local `sample'Vars {
            
            * ALL
            qui egen wavg_`var' = wtmean(b_`var'_b`set') ///
                if treated == 1, weight(1/(se_`var'_b`set'^2))
                *NOTE maybe include cem_varlist==1/2/3/4, so & "cem_varlist == 1"
            qui egen wvar_`var' = mean(1/(se_`var'_b`set'^2)) ///
                if treated == 1 
            qui replace wvar_`var' = sqrt(1/wvar_`var')
//             qui egen simplevar_`var' = total(se_`var'_b`set'^2) ///
//                 if acquired == 1 & same_atc3 == 1 & medVH == 0
//             qui replace simplevar_`var' = sqrt(simplevar_`var')
            
            * record values
//             sum b_`var'_b`set' if acquired == 1 & same_atc3 == 1 & medVH == 0
//             local avgAll : display %4.2f r(mean)
//             sum simplevar_`var'
//             local sdAll : display %4.2f r(mean)
//             drop simplevar_`var'
            sum wavg_`var'
            local avgAllEff : display %4.2f r(mean)
            drop wavg_`var'
            sum wvar_`var'
            local sdAllEff : display %4.2f r(mean)
            drop wvar_`var'        
            
           
           

            file write tableA2 "`var',`avgAllStates',`avgEarlyStates',`avgLateStates'" _n
            file write tableA2 `",="(`sdAllStates')",="(`sdEarlyStates')",="(`sdLateStates')""' _n
            
            }
        
        }

    file close tableA2
    
}

clear

[Daniel Schaefer]

I tried "macro drop tableA2" and "clear" at the start and end, but that doesn't solve the problem.

Makes sense. tableA2 is a file handle, not a macro. I think you need to close the file to free up the handle with:

file close tableA2

My guess is that the last time you ran this, you never actually reached the -file close tableA2- line, so you need to close the file now before you can use the same handle.