pkgtransfer

Version 1.0.0 | 2026-04-08

pkgtransfer reads the package-tracking information in your PLUS directory and generates the files needed to recreate that package set on another Stata installation. It supports both online migration, where the new machine reinstalls packages from their original sources, and offline migration, where you carry a ZIP bundle of package files.

Requirements

• Stata 16 or later
• The github command is only needed if your generated reinstall script includes github install ... lines for packages originally installed from GitHub

Installation

capture ado uninstall pkgtransfer
net install pkgtransfer, from("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tpcopeland/Stata-Tools/main/pkgtransfer") replace

Commands

Command	Description
pkgtransfer	Export your installed-package setup for online or offline recreation

How It Works

pkgtransfer works from the stata.trk file in your current PLUS directory. That file records which packages are installed and where they came from. The command then generates one of three outputs:

1. Default mode writes pkgtransfer.do, a do-file with ssc install, net install, or github install commands that recreate your current setup online.
2. download(online) or download(local) creates pkgtransfer.do plus pkgtransfer_files.zip for offline transfer.
3. restore rewrites tracked source paths back to their original online URLs after packages were installed from a pkgtransfer ZIP bundle.

Use limited() and skip() to control which packages are included. Use os() when the destination machine needs platform-specific cleanup commands for a different operating system.

Choosing a Mode

Mode	When to use	Output
Default	The destination machine has internet access	pkgtransfer.do
download(online)	You want an offline bundle built from current upstream package files	pkgtransfer.do and pkgtransfer_files.zip
download(local)	You want to bundle the copies already installed in your PLUS directory	pkgtransfer.do and pkgtransfer_files.zip
restore	Packages were installed from a pkgtransfer ZIP bundle and you want stata.trk pointed back to online sources	Updated stata.trk plus stata.trk.backup

Worked Examples

1. Online migration to a new machine

Use this when the destination machine has internet access and you want the lightest transfer workflow.

On the old machine:

pkgtransfer

Move pkgtransfer.do to the new machine, then run:

do pkgtransfer.do

2. Build an offline bundle from online sources

Use download(online) when you want pkgtransfer to fetch current package files from the internet before bundling them.

pkgtransfer, download(online)

Move both pkgtransfer.do and pkgtransfer_files.zip to the destination machine. Extract the ZIP archive, then run:

do pkgtransfer.do

3. Build an offline bundle from your local PLUS directory

Use download(local) when you want to package the copies you already have installed locally.

pkgtransfer, download(local) limited(estout outreg2) ///
    dofile(team_setup.do) zipfile(team_setup.zip)

This still creates pkgtransfer.do and pkgtransfer_files.zip, but it copies package files from your local installation whenever possible.

4. Limit the package set or skip selected packages

These options are useful when you are preparing a smaller team environment or excluding packages you do not want to redistribute.

pkgtransfer, download(online) skip(gtools ftools) ///
    dofile(clean_install.do) zipfile(clean_install.zip)

Package names in limited() and skip() must match the package names recorded in stata.trk exactly.

5. Restore online source paths after a local install

If packages were installed from a pkgtransfer ZIP bundle, restore can point stata.trk back to the original online source URLs.

pkgtransfer, restore

Practical Notes

• Run pkgtransfer once in default mode before using download(). That gives you a clean online-install script you can keep as a fallback.
• zipfile() is valid only with download().
• dofile() must end in .do, and zipfile() must end in .zip.
• The generated outputs reflect the packages visible in the current PLUS directory, not every package that might exist elsewhere on the system.
• Platform-specific .plugin files are still fetched from the internet when download(local) is used, because a local PLUS directory only contains the current platform build.

Version History

• 1.0.0 (2026-04-08): Current Stata-Tools release with online transfer, offline bundle creation, filtering options, and source restoration

Author

Timothy P Copeland, Karolinska Institutet

License

MIT