nwimport

Import a network from a Pajek, UCINET, GML or edge list file

Syntax

nwimport 
filename
, 
type(import_type[, type_sub])
[name(newnetname)
forcedirected
forceundirected
nwclear
clear
nwappend
xvars]

name(newnetname)	name of the imported network; default = filename
forcedirected	force network to be directed
forceundirected	force network to be undirected
nwclear	clear all data and networks
clear	same as nwclear
nwappend	append to existing data
xvars	also generate Stata variables for the imported network (see nwload)

Description

Imports networks from popular network file formats. The command automatically recognizes whether networks are directed or undirected. However, options forcedirected and forceundirected can be used to override automatic detection.

The following network formats are supported:

• - Ucinet
• - Pajek
• - Raw adjacency matrix
• - Raw edgelist
• - Compressed edgelist
• - GML

filename can also be a URL, so networks can be imported directly from the internet without downloading a local copy first, e.g.:

. nwimport "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thomas-u-grund/nwcommands/main/data/edgelist_example.txt", type(edgelist)

Supported network types

Binary: yes. Directed: yes - automatically detected from the source file unless overridden with forcedirected/forceundirected. Weighted: yes, where the source format itself carries tie values (e.g. Ucinet/Pajek matrices, weighted edgelists). Signed: yes, if the source file’s own values are negative. Two-mode: yes (see Two-mode networks above).

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nwcommands version 3.17.6, 9 November 2026 (check your installed version)