Merge all values into one variable

[Simon Walker]

After I split a string, I would like to paste all the values from all the variables into the first and get a long word list. Right now I am doing it rather cumbersome by saving each variable as a separate dataset and then appending them. However, this requires me to use preserve and now I have run into a bottleneck because I am doing this procedure within a preserve.

Is there a simpler way to split and stack words from a string?

[Clyde Schechter]

You don't give example data, so this is untested. But if it has errors, you can adapt it; the gist of this is correct:

split string_variable, gen(word)
gen `c(obs_t)' obs_no = _n
reshape long word, i(obs_no)

[Nick Cox]

See also tabsplit from tab_chi on SSC.

[Simon Walker]

2 works excellently, thank you!