I am new to gretl and I am sorry if this is too rudimentary a question.

I am trying to append my data set (already imported) with another file that contains the descriptive labels. I know how to do it one variable at a time in the gretl console but is there some way to add all the labels for all the variables at once?

Dear Allin and Shaianne, I have another suggestion: why don't you use a script file? I use this procedure very often and I think it helps a lot: <script> open mydata.xls setinfo gdp60 -d "GDP per adult, 1960" setinfo gdp85 -d "GDP per adult, 1985" save mydata.gdt --gzipped </script> I hope this helps ;) Henrique 2009/10/1 Allin Cottrell <cottrell(a)wfu.edu&gt; > On Thu, 1 Oct 2009, Shaianne Osterreich wrote: > > > I am new to gretl and I am sorry if this is too rudimentary a question. > > Welcome to the gretl list, and no, your question is fine. > > > I am trying to append my data set (already imported) with > > another file that contains the descriptive labels. I know how > > to do it one variable at a time in the gretl console but is > > there some way to add all the labels for all the variables at > > once? > > You can do this but it's a bit of an "expert trick"; perhaps we > should write this up in the "Cheat sheet" chapter of the Gretl > User's Guide. > > The first thing to do is save your dataset in the "traditional" > format of ESL, gretl's ancestor. Do this in a script or in the > gretl console: > > open mydata > store mydata.dat --traditional > > This will create either two or three files: mydata.dat (plain text > data only), mydata.hdr (basic info on how to read the data) and, > possibly, mydata.lbl, which will contain descriptive strings for > the variables, if any. > > Now either edit or create mydata.lbl to add the labels you want: > mydata.lbl should be a plain text file, each line of which > has the name of a variable followed by its label, e.g. > > gdp60 GDP per adult, 1960 > gdp85 GDP per adult, 1985 > gdpgrow Average growth of GDP, 1960 to 1985 > > (with no quotation marks or special punctuation). > > Now open the "traditional" dataset in gretl > > open mydata.dat > > The labels should be in place; you can now re-save the dataset in > the current standard gretl format. > > Allin Cottrell > > _______________________________________________ > Gretl-users mailing list > Gretl-users(a)lists.wfu.edu > http://lists.wfu.edu/mailman/listinfo/gretl-users > _______________________________________________ Gretl-users mailing list Gretl-users(a)lists.wfu.edu http://lists.wfu.edu/mailman/listinfo/gretl-users

On Wed, 7 Oct 2009, Shaianne Osterreich wrote: > Thanks for your advice Allin and Henrique. > > Allin - I've tried your suggestion. When the traditional file > is created it does create 2 files - dat and hdr. Then I have > saved a plain text file named mydata.lbl (in exactly the format > you suggested) in the same user folder with the newly created > ones. But, when I re-open mydata.dat it doesn't open with the > descriptive labels - it's just the variable names as before. I > think gretl isn't reading the text file. Do you have > suggestions?

Henrique - thanks. I have tried this and it works well.

However, I have 185 variables so I am trying to give the variables descriptive labels all at once rather than enter them one at a time.

I have tried to copy and paste a script with all 185 variables but I can't paste into gretl from outside. Do you have suggestions on that?