help xls2dta old syntax

xls2dta has a new syntax. Old syntax
continues to work. This is the original help file for the
old syntax and it is included to assist with understanding
old code. Also old syntax might be slightly more convenient
to type.

Title

xls2dta -- Save Excel files as Stata datasets

Syntax

xls2dta [extvarlist]
[using filename] [, options]

where filename specifies the Excel file/s to be converted to
Stata datasets. If filename is not specified, it defaults to
the current working directory. See Remarks.

Description

xls2dta converts Excel files to Stata datasets using
import excel. Names for Stata datasets are derived from
the names of the Excel files (see Remarks). The
program is a convenient tool to import and convert more than one
Excel file and/or worksheet at a time.

Options

save(dirc) specifies the directory to store Stata datasets.
Default dirc is the current working directory ().
Double quotes may be omitted.

allsheets[(numlist |
["]pattern["] ...)] saves all worksheets
in the Excel files as Stata datasets. If foo.xls contains three
sheets, Sheet1, Sheet2 and Sheet3, Stata datasets
foo_Sheet1.dta, foo_Sheet2.dta and foo_Sheet3.dta will
be saved. If specified, only worksheets numlist, or worksheets
matching patterns (see strmatch) are converted.

replace allows Stata datasets to be replaced if they already
exist.

import excel options are options allowed
with import excel. Option sheet("sheetname") may not be
combined with allsheets. Option describe may not be
combined with any other option. Option clear is ignored.

respectcase specifies that xls2dta respect case in
filename (Windows only). Uppercase characters in filename
imply respectcase. See extended macro function
dir.

nostop prevents xls2dta from stopping if one of the
internal calls to import excel returns an error. This
option should rarely be specified.

mkdir[(public)] creates new directory
dirc, as specified in save (see mkdir).

Remarks

In filename one specific file, or more than one file in a
directory may be specified.

Specifying

. xls2dta using c:/myxlsfiles/foo.xls

converts (the first sheet of) foo.xls to foo.dta and saves
it in the current working directory.

If c:/myxlsfiles contains more than one .xls file, we can
convert all of them to Stata datasets typing

. xls2dta using c:/myxlsfiles/*.xls

To convert all .xls and .xlsx files in c:/myxlsfiles,
we would type

. xls2dta using c:/myxlsfiles

If foo.xls contains more than one worksheet, and we want to
convert all worksheets to Stata datasets, we type

. xls2dta using c:/myxlsfiles/foo.xls ,allsheets

To only convert worksheets starting with Sheet, we specify

. xls2dta using c:/myxlsfiles/foo.xls ,allsheets(Sheet*)

Example

. xls2dta using c:/myxlsfiles ,save(c:/mydtafiles)

Saved results

xls2dta saves the following in r():

Macros

r(n_dta) number of saved .dta files

r(dta_#) filename of .dta file #

Author

Daniel Klein, University of Kassel, klein.daniel.81@gmail.com

Also see

Online: import excel, extended functions,
foreach, mkdir

if installed: xls2stata