Sometimes we use the log using filename, replace command at the beginning of a Do file to open a log file and record everything displayed in the Results window. However, if an error interrupts the previous execution of the Do file, re-running it after debugging may fail simply because we forget to manually close the previous log file. In such cases, Stata will return the error message “log file already open” in the Results window.
A simple trick to prevent the “log file already open” error is to include the capture log close command before log using filename, replace:
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capture log close log using filename, replace // Rest of the Do file goes here log close |
This structure ensures that any previously open log files are closed before attempting to create or replace the log file, thereby maintaining a clean and error-free workflow when working with log files in Stata.