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help for storecmd, stowcmd, repcmd
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Store and repeat commands using characteristics

        storecmd charname cmdline

        stowcmd charname cmdline

        repcmd charname [ , showonly ]


Description

    cmdline is any Stata command line.

    charname is the name of a Stata characteristic. To avoid confusion with
    characteristics used by Stata itself, include at least one capital letter
    in the name.

    storecmd executes cmdline. If successful, meaning that there were no
    errors, cmdline is stored as characteristic _dta[charname].

    stowcmd stows away cmdline as characteristic _dta[charname].  cmdline
    therefore need not be a command that would execute properly at the time
    it is stowed.

    repcmd executes the command stored in characteristic _dta[charname].


Options

    showonly shows the command line stored, but does not execute it.


Examples

    Stata command lines are stored temporarily in memory and they may be
    stored as desired in text files, commonly .log or .do files.

    These commands offer a third possibility: command lines may be stored as
    characteristics. They may be stored within sessions, and so long as the
    data file is saved so that these characteristics are included, they may
    be stored between sessions with the same data file.

    Here is one pattern:

    1. You develop a complicated command line, possibly after several steps.
    You want to store it. Type, for example,

    . storecmd G graph <complicated details>

    The command line

    graph <complicated details>

    is executed.

    If no error occurs, the command line is stored as characteristic _dta[G].

    In addition, the command line is placed in the keyboard buffer, so that
    it can be retrieved for editing.

    storecmd G graph <complicated details>

    is one line above in the buffer.

    2. At any time, to see what commands have been stored, you can type

    . char list

    or

    . char list _dta

    noting that this will list any other characteristics as well.

    3. If you wish to save such characteristics with the data file, use the
    save command.

    4. Later, you wish to repeat the command. Type

    . repcmd G

    The command line stored as characteristic _dta[G] is executed.

    In addition, that command line is placed in the keyboard buffer, so that
    it can be retrieved for editing.

    repcmd G

    is one line above in the buffer.


Author


    Nicholas J. Cox, Durham University, U.K.
    n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk


Acknowledgements

    Alan Feiveson suggested the original idea.  Jeroen Weesie's keyb program
    was invaluable.  Jean Marie Linhart identified a bug and indicated a
    solution.


Also see

    On-line: help for char, keyboard