I want to create bar graphs with long labels. For some variables, the axis labels get cut off when I use splitvallabels while for others they are fine. I can't figure out why. Here is a MWE:

* Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
clear
input long(barriers aspiration_barriers)
 2  2
11  3
11  2
 2  2
 2  2
11  1
 2  3
11  3
 2  2
 1  1
11  3
 2 15
11 15
 9  2
 2  2
 1  1
 1  2
 2  3
 1  3
11  4
 2  2
11 15
 1  1
 1  3
 1  4
 1  3
 1  2
 1  2
 2  4
 2  3
 2  1
11  2
 1  2
11 15
 1  1
 2  3
 2  2
 1  3
11  2
 2  1
 3  2
 2  2
 2 15
11  1
 1  1
 1  3
 1  9
 2  2
 2  3
 2  4
11  3
11 15
11  2
 1  2
 2  1
 1  2
 1  2
11  3
11  3
 2  9
 2  2
 2  3
 2  2
 7  1
 1  1
 2  2
 1  3
 2  3
 2  4
 2  1
11  3
 2  3
 1  2
 1  2
11  9
 1  2
 1  3
 2  3
 2  2
 2  3
11  2
11  3
11  3
 1  2
11 15
 1  2
 2  1
11  3
 2  4
 1  3
11  3
 1  1
 1  2
 2  3
 6  1
 2  2
 2  9
 2  2
 0  2
 0  3
end
label values barriers barriers
label def barriers 0 "No, I did not face any obstacles", modify
label def barriers 1 "Yes, not enough money to buy a necessary asset", modify
label def barriers 2 "Yes, not enough money to buy necessary inputs", modify
label def barriers 3 "Yes, not possible to borrow enough money", modify
label def barriers 6 "Yes, not enough potential customers", modify
label def barriers 7 "Yes, it was not acceptable to my spouse", modify
label def barriers 9 "Yes, it was not acceptable to my community", modify
label def barriers 11 "Yes, unable to save enough because emergencies required spending the funds (illness, food shortage, repair, etc.)", modify
label values aspiration_barriers aspiration_barriers
label def aspiration_barriers 1 "I don't know where to start", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 2 "I need regular small amounts of money to give me stability", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 3 "I need a large one-time amount of money to get me started", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 4 "I make progress, but then something always sets me back", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 9 "The problem is that everybody else here is also poor", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 15 "Harvests are so small that all year I cannot focus on anything other than covering immediate needs", modify

gen share = 1/_N

splitvallabels barriers, recode length(35)
graph hbar (sum) share, over(barriers, relabel(`r(relabel)'))

splitvallabels aspiration_barriers, recode length(35)
graph hbar (sum) share, over(aspiration_barriers, relabel(`r(relabel)'))

The first graph is formatted as I expected:

The second is not:

Any clues as to why this might be? I don't see any special characters, I've inspected the return list from splitvallabels, and I've Googled around to no avail.

I want to create bar graphs with long labels. For some variables, the axis labels get cut off when I use splitvallabels while for others they are fine. I can't figure out why. Here is a MWE:

* Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
clear
input long(barriers aspiration_barriers)
 2  2
11  3
11  2
 2  2
 2  2
11  1
 2  3
11  3
 2  2
 1  1
11  3
 2 15
11 15
 9  2
 2  2
 1  1
 1  2
 2  3
 1  3
11  4
 2  2
11 15
 1  1
 1  3
 1  4
 1  3
 1  2
 1  2
 2  4
 2  3
 2  1
11  2
 1  2
11 15
 1  1
 2  3
 2  2
 1  3
11  2
 2  1
 3  2
 2  2
 2 15
11  1
 1  1
 1  3
 1  9
 2  2
 2  3
 2  4
11  3
11 15
11  2
 1  2
 2  1
 1  2
 1  2
11  3
11  3
 2  9
 2  2
 2  3
 2  2
 7  1
 1  1
 2  2
 1  3
 2  3
 2  4
 2  1
11  3
 2  3
 1  2
 1  2
11  9
 1  2
 1  3
 2  3
 2  2
 2  3
11  2
11  3
11  3
 1  2
11 15
 1  2
 2  1
11  3
 2  4
 1  3
11  3
 1  1
 1  2
 2  3
 6  1
 2  2
 2  9
 2  2
 0  2
 0  3
end
label values barriers barriers
label def barriers 0 "No, I did not face any obstacles", modify
label def barriers 1 "Yes, not enough money to buy a necessary asset", modify
label def barriers 2 "Yes, not enough money to buy necessary inputs", modify
label def barriers 3 "Yes, not possible to borrow enough money", modify
label def barriers 6 "Yes, not enough potential customers", modify
label def barriers 7 "Yes, it was not acceptable to my spouse", modify
label def barriers 9 "Yes, it was not acceptable to my community", modify
label def barriers 11 "Yes, unable to save enough because emergencies required spending the funds (illness, food shortage, repair, etc.)", modify
label values aspiration_barriers aspiration_barriers
label def aspiration_barriers 1 "I don't know where to start", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 2 "I need regular small amounts of money to give me stability", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 3 "I need a large one-time amount of money to get me started", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 4 "I make progress, but then something always sets me back", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 9 "The problem is that everybody else here is also poor", modify
label def aspiration_barriers 15 "Harvests are so small that all year I cannot focus on anything other than covering immediate needs", modify

gen share = 1/_N

splitvallabels barriers, recode length(35)
graph hbar (sum) share, over(barriers, relabel(`r(relabel)'))

splitvallabels aspiration_barriers, recode length(35)
graph hbar (sum) share, over(aspiration_barriers, relabel(`r(relabel)'))

The first graph is formatted as I expected:

The second is not:

Any clues as to why this might be? I don't see any special characters, I've inspected the return list from splitvallabels, and I've Googled around to no avail.

• stata

1 Answer 1

It's the apostrophe in one of the labels that did it. I thought the `""' construction in `splitvallabels' could deal with it, but it can't. Will have to change the labels I guess. Also see here.

Edit (with thanks to package author Ben Jann):

This is a problem with Stata's multi-line labels more broadly:

```

two scatteri 0 0, yti("") ylabel(0 `""I don't know" "where to start""', angle(0))

two scatteri 0 0, yti("") ylabel(0 `""I don{c 39}t know" "where to start""', angle(0))

```

It can be fixed with {c 39} in labels.