using findname varlist to delete some variables

[Sevgi Eda Tuzcu]

Dear All,


I might have an easy question, but I could not solve it.

I have many datasets containing symmetric matrices like this one:

* Example generated by -dataex-. To install: ssc install dataex
clear
input int id double(n50 n51 n52 n53 n54 n55 n56 n57 n58 n59 n60)
50                0                  0                  0 0                  0                  0 38.3389379109718 0 0                  0 0
51                0                  0                  0 0 25.236151069051278                  0                0 0 0                  0 0
52                0                  0                  0 0                  0 13.503105903401261                0 0 0                  0 0
53                0                  0                  0 0                  0                  0                0 0 0                  0 0
54                0 25.236151069051278                  0 0                  0 25.236151069051278                0 0 0                  0 0
55                0                  0 13.503105903401261 0 25.236151069051278                  0                0 0 0 15.140474533964072 0
56 38.3389379109718                  0                  0 0                  0                  0                0 0 0                  0 0
57                0                  0                  0 0                  0                  0                0 0 0                  0 0
58                0                  0                  0 0                  0                  0                0 0 0                  0 0
59                0                  0                  0 0                  0 15.140474533964072                0 0 0                  0 0
60                0                  0                  0 0                  0                  0                0 0 0                  0 0
end

As you can see, the variables and the ids are the same except the beginning "n". These matrices are full, but some of them - like the variable n60 and the row 60 are all zero. Some datasets I am using even do not have all zero variables.

I can detect the ones containing all zeros by using findname, all(@ == 0), and it provides me the varlist such as n60.
For all datasets, I wish to detect and delete the ones containing all zeros and again create a symmteric matrix, then create an id list and save them. For the ones that do not contain all zero variables, I wish to check by findname, do nothing else but create an id list and save them.

I tried egen=anymatch (id), (numlist), but I have a varlist, not numlist. Thus, it did not work.

How can I do that?

I hope I could explain my problem clearly. I appreciate any help.

Thank you in advance.

Sevgi