index.do

<<dd_version: 2>>     
<<dd_include: header.txt>>

# HW4: How to embed Stata results in .html 
### Hyomin Lee

Background: A user downloads and installs a system of program files, mostly ado-files, which form the foundation of most of the commands used in Stata Programming. Using those commands and additional syntax written out sequentially in a do-file, the user creates well-formed instruction to Stata called a do-file script. Once the user runs this script, results are generated and displayed in the results window, in a graph, or in a format (.xlsx, .log, .dta, .docx, .md, LaTeX, .html, etc). The .html file format is of specific interest since its the pathway to self-publication. To illustrate how this may be achieved in Stata, we hereby introduce the dyndoc command.

Methods: We created a do-file and populated it with this abstract using markdown language. Anything in this document that is not ordinary text including <<dd_version: 2>>, <<dd_do:nooutput>>, <</dd_do>>, <<dd_display: c(N)>> is a markup. Results that might be numeric, string, alphanumeric, or formatted as macros are embeded at these markedup points. We then saved this document using the file extension .do; however, any text file extension will work (.txt, .md, .do, etc). To the pwd where we saved this text file, we added a cascading style sheet stmarkdown.css and header.txt to enhance the aesthetic of our .html file. Finally, we typed the following command into the Stata command window: dyndoc filename.do, saving(filename.html) replace. In the key analysis, $Y  = \beta_0   +  \beta_1 X
, where $Y  is life expectancy at birth in years, the outcome or dependent variable; 
$X is the country, the predictor or independent variable being tested.

```
<<dd_do>>
cls
clear
set obs 30
gen age=(rnormal()*15)+57 
gen age_t=(rt(_N)*15)+57
hist age, ///
   fcolor(orange%40) /// simulated normal 
   addplot(hist age_t, fcolor(midblue%50)) /// simulated t-distribution 
   normal /// theoretical normal
   legend(on ///
      lab(1 "Sampled from Normal") ///
	  lab(2 "Theoretical Normal") ///
	  lab(3 "Sampled from t-distribution") ///
	  )
graph export agedistribution.png, replace 
<</dd_do>>
```
<<dd_graph>>

**Footnote:**
"Distribution of $\text{Age, years} \sim \mathcal{N}(\mu=57,\,\sigma^{2}=225)$, to provide a mathematical representation of the age distribution."

**Dataset description:**
Below you can find a table showing the frequency of the hypothetical dataset. 

```
<<dd_do>>
display c(N) 
display c(k)  
list in 1/5 
<</dd_do>>
```

Results: We identified the newly created .html file in our folder and opened it to compare its format to this markdown file. And we saw all that we had made, and behold, it was very good. Ghastly macros in the original markdown language now appeared as neatly formatted results. 


Conclusions: In walking you through syntax, do-file creation, queued commands, generated results, through to embedding neatly formatted output in .html, we believe you now have a solid sense of all that Stata has to offer you. These ideas can be generalized to embedding results in .xlsx, .log, .dta, .docx, etc.