error when looping with macros in the indexing -

i trying create dummy variable identify next 5 observations after selection of cutoffs. first method in code below works, looks bit messy , i'd able adjust number of observations i'm creating dummies without typing out same expression 30 times (usually sign i'm doing hard way).

every time put macro indexing, i.e.

[_n-`i']  

i following error:

 _= invalid name r(198); 

i'd grateful advice.

sysuse auto.dta, replace global cutoffs 3299 4424 5104 5788 10371 

this works

sort price gen a=0  foreach x in $cutoffs {     replace a=1 if price==`x'      replace a=1 if price[_n-1]==`x'     replace a=1 if price[_n-2]==`x'     replace a=1 if price[_n-3]==`x'     replace a=1 if price[_n-4]==`x'     replace a=1 if price[_n-5]==`x' } 

this doesn't.

foreach x in $cutoffs {     forval `i' = 0/25 {          replace a=1 if price[_n-`i']==`x'     } } 

any advice why?

in stata terms no loops needed here @ all, except tacit in generate , replace. want set counter going each time after hit cutoff, , identify counter values between 1 , 5. here's technique:

sysuse auto.dta, clear  global cutoffs 3299,4424,5104,5788,10371 sort price   gen counter = 0 if inlist(price, $cutoffs)  replace counter = counter[_n-1] + 1 if missing(counter)  gen wanted = inrange(counter, 1, 5)   list price counter wanted        +---------------------------+      |  price   counter   wanted |      |---------------------------|   1. |  3,291         .        0 |   2. |  3,299         0        0 |   3. |  3,667         1        1 |   4. |  3,748         2        1 |   5. |  3,798         3        1 |      |---------------------------|   6. |  3,799         4        1 |   7. |  3,829         5        1 |   8. |  3,895         6        0 |   9. |  3,955         7        0 |  10. |  3,984         8        0 |      |---------------------------|  11. |  3,995         9        0 |  12. |  4,010        10        0 |  13. |  4,060        11        0 |  14. |  4,082        12        0 |  15. |  4,099        13        0 |      |---------------------------|  16. |  4,172        14        0 |  17. |  4,181        15        0 |  18. |  4,187        16        0 |  19. |  4,195        17        0 |  20. |  4,296        18        0 |      |---------------------------|  21. |  4,389        19        0 |  22. |  4,424         0        0 |  23. |  4,425         1        1 |  24. |  4,453         2        1 |  25. |  4,482         3        1 |      |---------------------------|  26. |  4,499         4        1 |  27. |  4,504         5        1 |  28. |  4,516         6        0 |  29. |  4,589         7        0 |  30. |  4,647         8        0 |      |---------------------------|  31. |  4,697         9        0 |  32. |  4,723        10        0 |  33. |  4,733        11        0 |  34. |  4,749        12        0 |  35. |  4,816        13        0 |      |---------------------------|  36. |  4,890        14        0 |  37. |  4,934        15        0 |  38. |  5,079        16        0 |  39. |  5,104         0        0 |  40. |  5,172         1        1 |      |---------------------------|  41. |  5,189         2        1 |  42. |  5,222         3        1 |  43. |  5,379         4        1 |  44. |  5,397         5        1 |  45. |  5,705         6        0 |      |---------------------------|  46. |  5,719         7        0 |  47. |  5,788         0        0 |  48. |  5,798         1        1 |  49. |  5,799         2        1 |  50. |  5,886         3        1 |      |---------------------------|  51. |  5,899         4        1 |  52. |  6,165         5        1 |  53. |  6,229         6        0 |  54. |  6,295         7        0 |  55. |  6,303         8        0 |      |---------------------------|  56. |  6,342         9        0 |  57. |  6,486        10        0 |  58. |  6,850        11        0 |  59. |  7,140        12        0 |  60. |  7,827        13        0 |      |---------------------------|  61. |  8,129        14        0 |  62. |  8,814        15        0 |  63. |  9,690        16        0 |  64. |  9,735        17        0 |  65. | 10,371         0        0 |      |---------------------------|  66. | 10,372         1        1 |  67. | 11,385         2        1 |  68. | 11,497         3        1 |  69. | 11,995         4        1 |  70. | 12,990         5        1 |      |---------------------------|  71. | 13,466         6        0 |  72. | 13,594         7        0 |  73. | 14,500         8        0 |  74. | 15,906         9        0 |      +---------------------------+ 

in fact, text says "the next 5 observations after" code implements not that, cutoff observation too. latter, use inrange(counter, 0, 5).

understanding principles explained here crucial question.

for inrange() , inlist() see entries and/or this paper.

so, did wrong?

this line

 forval `i' = 0/25 {  

in illegal unless have defined local macro i (and rather odd style then). perhaps meant

 forval = 0/25 {  

although 25 comes from, given problem statement, unclear me. error message isn't helpful, stata struggling make sense of code hole in it, given local macro implied code not defined.