ffind.ado auto download

[AlecErb]

Issue: command ffind not defined by ffind.ado (r199)

The automatic download for ffind.ado in /Signals/Code/settings.do no longer works. STATA doesn't speak will with https via the "net install" command. As a band-aid, users can manually download ffind.ado into their /ado/personal/per directory.

[tomz23]

This command appears to do the same (just much slower) and can be installed via ssc : https://github.com/van-alfen/sicff. Not sure it's worth switching.

[chenandrewy]

@tomz23, can you help us resolve this? Please go ahead and make an executive decision.

[tomz23]

I compared results between ffind and sicff and found that they almost always agree. If they do not agree, sicff seems to be correct because of an inaccurate treatment of the "other" or "everything else" categories in ffind. sicff is somewhat slower but that does not really matter here. It appears also wieldly used (see https://tysonvanalfen.com/#research). I will swap ffind for sicff throughout the entire code base.

For the record, here is some code one can use to compare the behavior of both commands:

` use "$pathDataIntermediate/SignalMasterTable", clear

destring sicCS, replace

foreach nn of numlist 5 10 12 17 30 38 48 49 {

preserve

ffind sicCS, newvar(ffindvar) type(`nn')
sicff sicCS, generate(sicffvar) industry(`nn')

count if ffindvar != sicffvar

* For inspection
keep if ffindvar != sicffvar
save tmp`nn'    

restore

} `

[tomz23]

Updated here https://github.com/OpenSourceAP/CrossSection/commit/3c2183231e993f73e232ddd2d8ec99caa4baf13d