Installing nwergm

nwergm is a separate package (GPL-3) that needs the core nwcommands. Install the core first, then nwergm.

1. The core

. net install nwcommands, from(https://nwcommands.org/net/) replace
. nwinstall, everything

nwinstall, everything installs the core and all four model packages in one step; nwinstall, all installs the core only.

See Installation & Setup for details, including computers without internet access or administrator rights.

2. nwergm

. nwinstall, models

If you used nwinstall, everything above, the model packages are already installed; after nwinstall, all (core only) add them with nwinstall, models. Repeating either command updates them. To install nwergm only, or a specific tagged version, use its own address:

. net install nwergm, from(https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thomas-u-grund/nwergm/main/)

(nwinstall, modelpkg(nwergm) does the same from the core.)

A specific release

Every release is tagged on GitHub and each tag has its own address. For version 1.3.5:

. net install nwergm, from(https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thomas-u-grund/nwergm/v1.3.5/) replace

Use a tagged release when you want an analysis to be reproducible: you can then say exactly which version produced the results. The operator terms and the other additions described in this section need version 1.1.0 or later.

3. Check the installation

. nwergm version
nwergm version 1.3.5, 28oct2026
  core package nwcommands : installed (development copy, no distribution date)
  native plugin           : .../nwergm/lib/plugins/macos/ergm_mcmc_macos.plugin (ships with 
> the package, no separate version number)
  compared with           : R ergm 4.12.0
  license                 : GNU GPL-3

The output shows the release of nwergm, the core, the native plugin and the version of ergm that the results were compared with. (The core line shows “development copy” because the examples on this website were run from a source checkout; a normal installation shows the distribution date of the core.) The release is stored in r(version), and after a fit in e(version); quote it when you report an analysis. nwversion lists the core and all installed model packages. help nwergm opens the complete documentation.

Updating

Repeat nwinstall, models (or nwinstall, everything), or, for this package only, its net install line with replace:

. net install nwergm, from(https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thomas-u-grund/nwergm/main/) replace

Updating the core never overwrites nwergm, and updating nwergm never changes the core. net describe nwergm shows the installed version and distribution date.

The native plugin

The Monte Carlo sampler at the heart of a dyad-dependent fit runs in a compiled plugin that nwergm ships for macOS, Linux and Windows. It is installed together with the package and found automatically; there is nothing to configure. nwergm version shows the path of the plugin in use. The help file (help nwergm, section on performance) says what happens on a platform without a plugin.

Requirements

Stata 17 or later (Stata BE is enough; tested with Stata 17 and 18, the Mata libraries are built with Stata 17, the oldest tested version; Stata 16 and older are untested) and the core nwcommands with its Mata library.