{smcl}
{* 12oct2010}{...}
{cmd:help del}
{hline}

{title:Title}

{p 5 18 2}{hi: del} {hline 2} Describe(l)

{title:Syntax}

{p 8 15 2}
{cmd:del} [{help elemlist:{it:elemlist}}]  [{cmd:using} {help altpath:{it:alt-path}}] [, {opt a:dd(charname-list)} {opt s:ubtract(charname-list)} {opt p:ermanent} {opt f:ormats} {help outopt:out option}]

{title:Description}

{pstd}{cmd:del} is an alternative to {help des} (ie, {help describe}). It's better organized, and includes the size (in bytes) of each variable, as well as user-specified metadata.
Value labels, {help notes}, and other metadata, are displayed as links which, when clicked, bring up the content in a viewer window.

{pstd}If a non-Stata dataset is specified (which requires StatTransfer), the displayed variable sizes may be larger than they will be when the file is actually translated.
In the interests of speed, StatTransfer's optimization is turned off except when the data is actually translated.

{title:Options}

{phang}{opt a:dd(charname-list)} includes a column for each {help char} in {it:charname-list}.

{phang}{opt s:ubtract(charname-list)} excludes columns for any {help char}s in {it:charname-list}.

{phang}{opt p:ermanent} sets the default for the current data to include/exclude columns for the {help char}s specified in {opt a:dd()} and {opt s:ubtract()}. The new default is saved along with the data.

{phang}{opt f:ormats} includes a column for variable formats (has no effect with non-Stata datasets).

{title:Remarks}

{pstd}In a Stata dataset, each variable {c -} and the dataset as a whole {c -} can have other information associated with it. The {help char} command is used to add/modify/remove this info.
{cmd:del} can facilite using this info as systematic metadata. 

{pstd}{opt a:dd(charname-list)} effectively defines the names in {it:charname-list} to be metadata fields;
anything stored under those names is then included in the data description produced by {cmd:del}.

{pstd}If StatTransfer is available, del can be used to view foreign-format data files.

{title:Also see}

{pstd}Online: help for {helpb describe}, {helpb notes}, {helpb char}, {helpb dd}

{pstd}Contact: {browse "mailto:elliott.lowy@va.gov":Elliott Lowy}