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'''Scalars''' are a data type used for meta programming in the Stata programming language. They are more comparable to [[Stata/Macros|macros]] than any core [[Stata/DataTypes|data type]] within Stata. |
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| To obtain a random, temporary name for a scalar that cannot collide with any variables or scalars defined in a dataset, try: {{{ tempname n1 n2 count if cohort==1 scalar `n1' = r(N) count if cohort==2 scalar `n2' = r(N) }}} |
Stata Scalars
Scalars are a data type used for meta programming in the Stata programming language. They are more comparable to macros than any core data type within Stata.
Contents
Definition
To define a scalar, use the scalar define command. The define keyword can be left off.
scalar define i = 1 scalar j = 2 scalar k = "Hello, world!"
Scalar variables are accessed by their name.
generate double score = i * j
String Scalars
String scalars can hold arbitrarily long strings, and can also hold binary data.
Usage
To examine a scalar variable, try:
scalar dir i
Use scalar dir _all (or scalar list _all) to list the contents of all scalar variables.
To delete a scalar variable, try:
scalar drop i
Use scalar drop _all to delete all scalar variables.
To obtain a random, temporary name for a scalar that cannot collide with any variables or scalars defined in a dataset, try:
tempname n1 n2 count if cohort==1 scalar `n1' = r(N) count if cohort==2 scalar `n2' = r(N)