running a sequence over subperiods

[remuct]

Hi, I want to run over two subperiods [1, !d-1] and [!d, !n] defined as the strings subp1 and subp2, the SAME list of instructions where a time increment !i is used. One way of doing this is :

smpl {subp1}
for !i=1 to !d-1
list of instructions
next
smpl {subp2}
for !i=!d to !n
list of instructions
next

There is surely a shorter way of programming this without repeating the list of instructions. Is there?
Thanks

[EViews Matt]

Hello,

There are a couple of ways you could eliminate the redundancy in your program. You could move the common code to a subroutine, after which your program would look something like this:

Code: Select all

subroutine foo
   list of instructions
endsub

smpl {subp1}
for !i=1 to !d-1
   call foo
next
smpl {subp2}
for !i=!d to !n
   call foo
next


You'd need to work about appropriate parameters for the subroutine and double-check that it still generates all the correct side effects.

Alternatively, you could employ an additional loop over the two sets of specifications, (subp1, 1, !d-1) and (subp2, !d, !n), a la:

Code: Select all

%specs = "subp1 1 " + @str(!d-1) + " subp2 " + @str(!d) + " " + @str(!n)

for %smpl %start %end {%specs}
   smpl {{%smpl}}
   for !i=%start to %end
      list of instructions
   next
next


Further simplifications are possible if the sample strings and associated indices are related to one another, but that depends on code not shown.

[remuct]

Thank you so much, the second way was the kind of approach I was seeking. If I do that way, am I obliged to give a name to each sub-period, here subp1 and subp2, since these names do not appear anywhere in the program, therefore seem not to be useful? That is, can I write the first sentence as:

%specs = "1 " + @str(!d-1) + " " + @str(!d) + " " + @str(!n)

Thanks

[EViews Matt]

Certainly, with the appropriate downstream changes:

Code: Select all

%specs = "1 " + @str(!d-1) + " " + @str(!d) + " " + @str(!n)

for %start %end {%specs}
   smpl %start %end   ' Only needed if the 'list of instructions' includes operations affected by the sample
   for !i=%start to %end
      list of instructions
   next
next