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Log usage of Stata programs in an existing text file

        usagelog [, message(string) start etime type(string) uerror(string) ]

Description

    Usagelog is designed for programmers who want to keep track of how often
    and, simply, how their program is being used by their users.  With
    usagelog you can log the date and time of day the program was started and
    completed as well as what the user's command line looked like and any
    user-error code.  This one program can be used to track several programs
    in different usage log files.  When used with the option etime it can
    report how long the program to took to run in days:hours:mins:secs.

    The first line in the usagelog file is:

        "Current date", "Current time" and "Work directory"

        "Current date" is taken from the creturn variable: `c(current_date)'

        "Current time" is taken from the creturn variable: `c(current_time)'

        "Work directory" is taken from the creturn variable: `c(pwd)'


Options

    start specifies that usagelog is to start logging program.

    message can pass any text message to the usagelog file like what options
        and settings the user of the program submitted.

    type specifies the program name or any text string you want the
        {cmd:usagelog file to start with.

    etime specifies to add the elapsed time since start to the usage log
        file.

    uerror provides what error code you want documented at time the program
        exited.  You have to make a call to usagelog before the Stata program
        really crashes since Stata will likely stop at that time.  Uerror is
        only helpful when you can predict how the program might fail.

Examples

    You can make a call to usagelog at the beginning of a program:

        usagelog , type(savasas) c(savasas using `using' `if' `in' ,
        type(`type') `replace' `rename')

        and then at the end of the program call it again:

        usagelog , type(savasas) uerror(5) etime(`s(etime)')

Author

    Dan Blanchette
    The Carolina Population Center
    University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, USA
    dan_blanchette@unc.edu


Also see

    On-line: log, etime (if installed) savasas (if installed) usesas (if
             installed)