Assign variable names to variable value if the condition is met

[Paul Shlapa]

Dear Experts,

"Wallau" "Bakel" "Weert" "Kempten" "EPLC" are variables.

I have a following code, where i would like to substitute variable CoC with the variable names that are in the loop, if their values contain "X"

gen CoC = ""

foreach i in "Wallau" "Bakel" "Weert" "Kempten" "EPLC" {
    
    local x "`i'"
    
    replace CoC = `x' if strpos(`i', "X") > 0
}

Therefore, if variable Bakel has a value "100X" in, lets say row 1, the output of CoC in row 1 should be Bakel.


However in return i get the actual variable values instead of variable names.

Any idea what i did wrong?

Sincerly,

Pavlo

[Clyde Schechter]

gen CoC = ""

foreach i in "Wallau" "Bakel" "Weert" "Kempten" "EPLC" {
    replace CoC = "`i'" if strpos(`i', "X") > 0
}

Your attempt to make local macro x contain "`i'" does not succeed because Stata strips initial and final quotes from local macro definitions. You could have done it with -local macro x `""`i'""'-. But there is really no reason to create another macro to contain what is already in `i'. You just need to wrap `i' in quotes in the appropriate place.

[Paul Shlapa]

Clyde Schechter Thanks Clyde, exactly what was needed.

[Nick Cox]

As the loop is over variable names, can't it be just

 foreach i in Wallau Bakel Weert Kempten EPLC {

That doesn't inhibit treating the loop argument variously as a variable name and as a literal string inside the loop.