Remove part of string variable and format variable

[Scott Rick]

Hi. I am trying to do the following with my string variable:

1. remove the "-" and everything before it in my string variable. So "HEI-GMRV" will be "GMRV"
2. remove all lead and lag spaces in what is left after #1. So, "HEI - Kadapa" should be only "Kadapa"

I know how to replace individual parts of the string, but not how to "remove all parts before "-"". Any help in doing this would be very much appreciated.

input str13 doc_location
"HEI-GMRV"     
"HEI-GPR ICARE"
"HEI-KVC"      
"HEI-KAR"      
"HEI-KAR"      
"HERF-KAR"      
"HEI-KAR"      
"HEI-GMRV"   
"HEI - Kadapa"

[Joseph Coveney]

Try something like the following.

generate str loc = strtrim(substr(doc_location, strpos(doc_location, "-")+1, .))

[Nick Cox]

You could use split but a direct approach is better:

clear 
input str13 doc_location
"HEI-GMRV"     
"HEI-GPR ICARE"
"HEI-KVC"      
"HEI-KAR"      
"HEI-KAR"      
"HERF-KAR"      
"HEI-KAR"      
"HEI-GMRV"   
"HEI - Kadapa"
end 

gen wanted = trim(substr(doc_location, 1 + strpos(doc_location, "-"), .))

[Nick Cox]

See https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf...867X1101100308 for a review of basic functions, especially Section 5.

Note that the function names given there still work. So strtrim() as used in #2 and trim() as used in #3 and as discussed in that paper are one and the same.

[Scott Rick]

Nick Cox: Thanks. That was really helpful