in this video we’ll talk about how to
use log files in Stata log files keep a
record of all of the input and output
that comes up in status results window
first it helps you reproduce your work
that means that if you find a good
finding and you want to find out how you
reach that finding you can go back
through the log file and find the steps
that brought you to where you want to be
second it allows other people to check
your work that’s useful when you want
help from an outside consultant or if
somebody wants details on how you got
the findings that you got the command to
generate log files is log this is the
To Start a Log File
syntax for beginning a log file to start
a log file input these commands log
space using space quotation mark the
name you want to assign to your lock
file dot txt close quotation marks comma
text append with the space after the
comma and a space after text for example
if I wanted to call my log file data
analysis I’d use the syntax log using
data analysis txt in quotation marks
comma text append your file name can
have letters numbers and space is
embedded in it by using the option text
in this command you’re asking data to
store your lock in a plain text file
that can be opened on any computer
without using this option you’ll require
Stata
to open up your log file the option
append tells data to add any new input
or output to the end of a log file that
has the name that you want to assign to
this log file in other words if you
already have a log file called data
analysis and you use the command append
Stata will add any new input or output
to the end of the log file
you could instead use the option replace
which tells Stata to erase the old copy
and create a new one you can pause and
Command
restart a log file by using the commands
log off and log on the command log off
pauses the log files recording of your
input and output log on resumes a paused
log file to stop logging your input and
To End Log File Recording
output into the command log close let’s
see what it looks like to use log files
in a state a session I asked Stata to
start a log session by typing in logged
using open quotation marks and the name
of the log file that I want I’m calling
it my log file dot txt closed quotes
comma text I hit enter and I get this
message telling me that the log file has
begun if I type in some analyses
and close the log file I’ll see that the
log files appeared on my working
directory I can open it and see what I
did in my stay the session
I’m going to reopen the log file again
and I’ll get this message
I can type in more analyses and it will
also be recorded
if I type logoff it will pause the
analysis while the log is off I’m going
to run a tab a people citizenship and
turn the log on that I’ll run a third
variable I close the log file and if you
look the table denoting citizenship and
the sample isn’t recorded because the
logging was paused
a log file records a state of sessions
Review
input and output you begin a log file
using the command logged using quotation
marks the name of the log file again the
name you want to assign to the log file
dot txt close quotation marks comma text
if you add the option replace you’re
asking Stata to overwrite any log file
that already exists with that name if
you use append you’re asking Stata to
add new input and output to the end of
an existing log file to pause a log file
type in log off to resume logging your
session use the command log on and to
close a log file use the command log
close for more information on Stata logs
type help log in the command window