character limitations of "view browse" command

[Alf Luegt]

The stata command

view browse "http://statalist.org"

opens the given url in the operating system's standard web browser.

However, when the given url is larger than 246 characters Stata (Version 18.0) doesn't do anything and doesn't produce any error message.

view browse "http://statalist.org/sssssssssss/ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssss"

Putting part of the url in a local, and accessing that local in the "view browse"-line, doesn't fix the problem.

Does anyone know how to fix this? Is this a Stata (intended/unintended) issue or a limitation in the system OS (Windows 11) or Browser (Firefox)?

Background: I am using an ado that retrieves values from a dataset and adds them as parameters to a url.

Stata output with "trace on" for the first command:

. view browse "http://statalist.org/ssssssssssssssssssss"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ begin _view_helper ---

- version 12

- syntax [anything(everything)] [, noNew name(name) *]

- if (index("`anything'"', "|") == 0) {`

= if (index("browse "http://statalist.org""', "|") == 0) {`

- if ("\new'" == "" | "`new'"=="new") & "`name'" == "" {`

= if ("" == "" | ""=="new") & "" == "" {

- local name _new

- }

- if ("\new'" == "nonew") & "`name'" == "" {`

= if ("" == "nonew") & "_new" == "" {

local name _nonew

}

- if "\name'" != "" {`

= if "_new" != "" {

- local suffix "##|\name'"`

= local suffix "##|_new"

- }

- }

- if "`anything'"' == "" {`

= if "browse "http://statalist.org""' == "" {`

local anything "help contents"

}

- if "`options'"' == "" {`

= if ""' == "" {`

- _view \anything'`suffix'`

= _view browse "http://statalist.org"##|_new

- }

- else {

_view \anything', `options' `suffix'`

}

. view browse "http://statalist.org/ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssss

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ begin _view_helper ---

- version 12

- syntax [anything(everything)] [, noNew name(name) *]

- if (index("`anything'"', "|") == 0) {`

= if (index("browse http://statalist.org/ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss `

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss""', "|") == 0) {

- if ("\new'" == "" | "`new'"=="new") & "`name'" == "" {`

= if ("" == "" | ""=="new") & "" == "" {

- local name _new

- }

- if ("\new'" == "nonew") & "`name'" == "" {`

= if ("" == "nonew") & "_new" == "" {

local name _nonew

}

- if "\name'" != "" {`

= if "_new" != "" {

- local suffix "##|\name'"`

= local suffix "##|_new"

- }

- }

- if "`anything'"' == "" {`

= if "browse "http://statalist.org/ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssss`

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss""' == "" {

local anything "help contents"

}

- if "`options'"' == "" {`

= if ""' == "" {`

- _view \anything'`suffix'`

= _view browse "http://statalist.org/ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssss

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

> ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss"##|_new

- }

- else {

_view \anything', `options' `suffix'`

}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- end _view_helper ---

[Alf Luegt]

Update: It doesn't seem to be a browser issue. The issue (i.e. nothing happening) is the same on Firefox, Edge and Chrome as the standard browser. So it must be a Stata issue or a general Windwos issue.

[Hemanshu Kumar]

On a Mac (macOS 15.3.2), with

StataNow/MP 18.5 for Mac (Apple Silicon)
Revision 26 Feb 2025

the problem is worse: entering the long URL makes Stata crash, i.e. "quit unexpectedly" as macOS likes to say.