Stata tip: Easy and short way to generate household head variables for individual-level datasets

Suppose you have an individual-level dataset (so you have a dataset with data on multiple members in the household), and you want to generate an variable that says something about the household head (e.g. household head is male, or is unemployed, etc.). This program will allow you to do so with just one command:

program define genhhhcharacteristics

    // Written by Shafique Jamal (shafique.jamal@gmail.com).
    // For an individual level dataset (includes multiple household members, not just the household head), generates a variable indicating a characteristic of the household head
    // e.g. suppose you want to generate a new variable (hhh_male) indicating the gender of the household head, and the variable identifying the household head is "reltohead", with 1 being the head,
    // and you want to do it by hhid of course. You would use the following command:
    //   
    // genhhhcharacteristics male, b(hhid) gen(hhh_male) h(reltohead) id(1)
    //
    // The above would be the equivalent of doing the following:
    //    gen hhh_male_interm = 1 male if reltohead == 1
    //  bys hhid: egen hhh_male = max(hhh_male_interm)
    //    drop hhh_male_interm
    // And then copying the value label and a modified variable label over to the new household head variable
    //

    syntax varname, Byvariables(varlist) GENerate(name) Headvariable(varname) [IDofhead(integer 1) ]
    version 9.1

    tempvar intermediaryvariable
    gen `intermediaryvariable' = `varlist' if `headvariable' == `idofhead'
    bys `byvariables': egen `generate' = max(`intermediaryvariable')
   
    // Now copy the value label over, if there is one
    tempname valuelabel
    local `valuelabel' : value label `varlist'
    if ("``valuelabel''"~="" & "``valuelabel''"~=" ") {
   
        // di "There is an existing label"
        label values `generate' ``valuelabel''
    }
   
    // Copy over also the variable label
    tempname variablelabel
    local `variablelabel' : variable label `varlist'
    label var `generate' `"``variablelabel'' (For `headvariable' == `idofhead', by `byvariables')"'
   
end program