{smcl}
{* 1apr2011}{...}
{hline}
help for {hi:labmatch}
{hline}

{title:Find observations by label values}

{p 8 14}{cmd:labmatch} {help varname} {help f_strmatch:stringpattern} [ {help varname} {help f_strmatch:stringpattern} ... ] [{help if} {help exp}] {bind: [, {cmd:nolist}}
  {cmdab:a:lsolist(}{help varlist}{cmd:)} {cmdab:t:abulate(}{help varlist}{cmd:)} {cmd:id(}{help varname}{cmd:)} ]

{p}{cmd:labmatch} lists observations where the value labels of variables listed match the string pattern given for each.  
Option {cmd:nolist} suppresses listing observations, and option {cmd:alsolist} requests additional variables to be listed. 
Option {cmd:tabulate} requests a {help tabulate:tabulation} of up to two variables for observations that match the criteria specified.
Option {cmd:id} returns all values of the specified variable for observations that match the criteria, in {help return:r(id)}, along
with a comma-delimited list in {help return:r(idcomma)} suitable for use with {help inlist} or other functions.
The {help if} qualifier needed to list observations (et cetera) is returned in {help return:r(cond)}. Support for {help in} is not provided
because it would unnecessarily complicate the returned local {cmd:cond}.


{title:Examples}

   sysuse nlsw88, clear
   labmatch race other married marr* collgrad col* occ Sal*
   ret li

   *note that the next example does not find anything because it is looking for "Sal*," not "Sal*"
   labmatch race other married marr* collgrad col* occ Sal*, id(idcode) a(idcode)
   *easy solution is to bind the stringpattern in quotes
   labmatch race other married marr* collgrad col* occ "Sal*", id(idcode) a(idcode)
   *or leave a space before the comma
   labmatch race other married marr* collgrad col* occ Sal* , id(idcode) a(idcode)

   labmatch race other married marr* occ *ers
   labmatch race other married marr* occ *ers if _n<1600
   labmatch race other married marr* occ "*ers", t(id age) nolist id(idcode) a(idcode)
   ret li
   su i* if inlist(idcode,`r(idcomma)')
   labmatch race other married marr* occ "*ers", nolist id(idcode) a(idcode)
   su i* `r(cond)'
    
{title:Author of {cmd:labmatch}}

	Austin Nichols
	<austinnichols@gmail.com>

{title:Acknowledgments}

{p 8 14}This program was suggested by 
    {browse "http://www.stata.com/statalist/archive/2011-04/msg00008.html":Stefan Gawrich} and
    {browse "http://www.stata.com/statalist/archive/2011-03/msg01918.html":Daniel Klein}.{p_end}

{title:Also see}

{p 0 19}On-line:  help for {help mf_st_vlload}, {help labelbook}.{p_end}