Good morning,

I am writing some program that is working on data that is -xtset-. In the program I need to refer to the panel variable, and the time variable, that has been set.

Now I am calling -xtset- and it leaves behind macros r(panelvar) and r(timevar), and I refer to those macros.

The problem is that as soon as I move my little finger, the return list left behind by -xtset- disappears and I need to call -xtset- again and again.

Is there not some more elegant way to directly access the panel and time variable set in my data?

Looking at the code of -xtset-, it seems that it is retrieving the panel and time variables from _dta[iis] and _dta[_TSpanel]... Am I right? Is that where it is getting the information?

If so, what are those _dta[iis] and _dta[_TSpanel], how can I access them and use them directly, and where can I read more about them?