Opening Live-Format Stata Graph Created by Stata 18 in Stata 17

[Evren Gulser]

According to the Stata 18 manual, live-format gph files can not be opened in Stata 17. The Stata 17 can open as-is format files but I want the files to be editable. Using the "version 17" command does not seem to be working. Do you have any suggestions?

[Nick Cox]

Please give a precise reference to the documentation you are mentioning.

You seem to be asking how to do something you've learned is not possible. I fear that you need access to Stata 18 to do what is only possible (at the moment) in Stata 18.

Otherwise version 17: does nothing special in Stata 17. What you want is, if I understand correctly, more like setting version 18: in Stata 17 so that Stata 17 understands what was introduced in Stata 18, which won't work.

[Evren Gulser]

Thank you for the answer,

I generate and extract live-format .gph files using Stata 18, but I require these files to be accessible to a Stata 17 user. The excerpt from the manual below indicates that Stata 17 cannot open these files due to different graphics features. What would you recommend in this situation?

"Stata 18 can open live-format files created by previous versions of Stata, but Stata 17 will not be able to open a live-format file created by Stata 18; this is due to graphics features that were introduced in Stata 18, such as the colorvar() options and the new schemes. However, Stata 17 can open as-is format files created by Stata 18."

[Nick Cox]

Thanks for the quotation. As before, sorry, but I don't have a way to get round what the documentation tells you can't be done.

[Evren Gulser]

Thank you, Nick. It was a pleasure engaging with you in person.