Displaced labels using display labels

[John F Hall]

I'm helping a neophyte SPSS user on a large and complex survey.  I'm running SPSS on a 10% sample looking for empty cases and redundant variables.  Trial runs for this and for test tables work fine.  However, good practice demands useful documentation, but I already have a problem.

 

Data Editor shows:

 

        Name                        Label

 

1    taken_survey_id      

2    grade                        Grade

3    token_id.559           (559)Grade 9

4    token_id.560           (560)Grade 10

 

..but when I run:

 

display labels .

 

I get:

 

Variable                Position    Label

 

taken_survey_id        449        <none>   
grade                               1        <none>
token_id.559                 2        Grade
token_id.560                  3        (560)Grade 10

 

All the labels have been displaced by one line: any idea why?

[Jon K Peck]

I have never used DISPLAY LABELS before, but trying it, I don't see this problem.
However, have you considered the CODEBOOK command for documenting the data?  It's quite versatile and can combine summary statistics with the meta data.  (Analyze>Reports>Codebook on the menus).

Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[hidden email]
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	07/05/2010 03:21 AM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I'm helping a neophyte SPSS user on a large and complex survey.  I'm running SPSS on a 10% sample looking for empty cases and redundant variables.  Trial runs for this and for test tables work fine.  However, good practice demands useful documentation, but I already have a problem.
 
Data Editor shows:
 
        Name                        Label
 
1    taken_survey_id      
2    grade                        Grade
3    token_id.559           (559)Grade 9
4    token_id.560           (560)Grade 10
 
..but when I run:
 
display labels .
 
I get:
 
Variable                Position    Label
 
taken_survey_id        449        <none>    
grade                               1        <none>
token_id.559                 2        Grade
token_id.560                  3        (560)Grade 10
 
All the labels have been displaced by one line: any idea why?

[John F Hall]

Far too much info in codebook: I just want a summary to work from while I get my head round the structure and contents of the file.  This is an extract from a different survey, but a hard copy I can annotate by hand comes in very useful when exploring someone else's data.

 

Variable	Position	Label
Q1	1	How many athletic events attended
Q2	2	which sports attended
Q3.1	3	most important reason
Q3.2	4	2nd most important reason
Q3.3	5	3rd most important reason
Q3.4	6	4th most important reason
Q3.5	7	5th most important reason
Q3.6	8	6th most important reason
Q3.7	9	least important reason
Q4.1	10	most enticing giveway
Q4.2	11	2nd most enticing giveaway
Q4.3	12	3rd most enticing giveaway
Q4.4	13	4th most enticing giveaway
Q4.5	14	least enticing giveaway

----- Original Message -----

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Cc: [hidden email]

Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 3:00 PM

Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels

I have never used DISPLAY LABELS before, but trying it, I don't see this problem.
However, have you considered the CODEBOOK command for documenting the data?  It's quite versatile and can combine summary statistics with the meta data.  (Analyze>Reports>Codebook on the menus).

Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[hidden email]
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	07/05/2010 03:21 AM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I'm helping a neophyte SPSS user on a large and complex survey.  I'm running SPSS on a 10% sample looking for empty cases and redundant variables.  Trial runs for this and for test tables work fine.  However, good practice demands useful documentation, but I already have a problem.
 
Data Editor shows:
 
        Name                        Label
 
1    taken_survey_id      
2    grade                        Grade
3    token_id.559           (559)Grade 9
4    token_id.560           (560)Grade 10
 
..but when I run:
 
display labels .
 
I get:
 
Variable                Position    Label
 
taken_survey_id        449        <none>    
grade                               1        <none>
token_id.559                 2        Grade
token_id.560                  3        (560)Grade 10
 
All the labels have been displaced by one line: any idea why?

[Bruce Weaver]

John, it looks like you can limit how much info you get using the VARINFO sub-command.

  /VARINFO
    POSITION LABEL TYPE FORMAT MEASURE ATTRIBUTES VALUELABELS MISSING
    RESERVEDATTRIBUTES

If you remove all of the options except POSITION and LABEL, I suspect you'll get the table you want.

Bruce

John F Hall wrote

Far too much info in codebook: I just want a summary to work from while I get my head round the structure and contents of the file.  This is an extract from a different survey, but a hard copy I can annotate by hand comes in very useful when exploring someone else's data.

      Variable
     Position
     Label
     
      Q1
     1
     How many athletic events attended
     
      Q2
     2
     which sports attended
     
      Q3.1
     3
     most important reason
     
      Q3.2
     4
     2nd most important reason
     
      Q3.3
     5
     3rd most important reason
     
      Q3.4
     6
     4th most important reason
     
      Q3.5
     7
     5th most important reason
     
      Q3.6
     8
     6th most important reason
     
      Q3.7
     9
     least important reason
     
      Q4.1
     10
     most enticing giveway
     
      Q4.2
     11
     2nd most enticing giveaway
     
      Q4.3
     12
     3rd most enticing giveaway
     
      Q4.4
     13
     4th most enticing giveaway
     
      Q4.5
     14
     least enticing giveaway
     

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Jon K Peck
  To: John F Hall
  Cc: [e-mail]
  Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 3:00 PM
  Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels



  I have never used DISPLAY LABELS before, but trying it, I don't see this problem.
  However, have you considered the CODEBOOK command for documenting the data?  It's quite versatile and can combine summary statistics with the meta data.  (Analyze>Reports>Codebook on the menus).

  Jon Peck
  SPSS, an IBM Company
  [e-mail]
  312-651-3435


        From:  John F Hall <[e-mail]> 
        To:  [e-mail]  
        Date:  07/05/2010 03:21 AM  
        Subject:  [SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels  
        Sent by:  "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[e-mail]> 


------------------------------------------------------------------------------



  I'm helping a neophyte SPSS user on a large and complex survey.  I'm running SPSS on a 10% sample looking for empty cases and redundant variables.  Trial runs for this and for test tables work fine.  However, good practice demands useful documentation, but I already have a problem.
   
  Data Editor shows:
   
          Name                        Label
   
  1    taken_survey_id      
  2    grade                        Grade
  3    token_id.559           (559)Grade 9
  4    token_id.560           (560)Grade 10
   
  ..but when I run:
   
  display labels .
   
  I get:
   
  Variable                Position    Label
   
  taken_survey_id        449        <none>   
  grade                               1        <none>
  token_id.559                 2        Grade
  token_id.560                  3        (560)Grade 10
   
  All the labels have been displaced by one line: any idea why?

[John F Hall]

I went through the *.doc file where I had copied the display labels output and found that several labels were centre justified, not left.  I made them left justifed, copied them back into the SPSS data file and ran display again.  This time the output was correct.  (Offset below is SPSS or OE, not me)

 

John Hall

 

Variable	Position	Label
taken_survey_id	1	<none>
grade	2	Grade
token_id.559	3	(559)Grade 9
token_id.560	4	(560)Grade 10
token_id.561	5	(561)Grade 11
token_id.562	6	(562)Grade 12
Gender	7	Gender

----- Original Message -----

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Cc: [hidden email]

Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 4:36 PM

Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels

Far too much info in codebook: I just want a summary to work from while I get my head round the structure and contents of the file.  This is an extract from a different survey, but a hard copy I can annotate by hand comes in very useful when exploring someone else's data.

 

Variable	Position	Label
Q1	1	How many athletic events attended
Q2	2	which sports attended
Q3.1	3	most important reason
Q3.2	4	2nd most important reason
Q3.3	5	3rd most important reason
Q3.4	6	4th most important reason
Q3.5	7	5th most important reason
Q3.6	8	6th most important reason
Q3.7	9	least important reason
Q4.1	10	most enticing giveway
Q4.2	11	2nd most enticing giveaway
Q4.3	12	3rd most enticing giveaway
Q4.4	13	4th most enticing giveaway
Q4.5	14	least enticing giveaway

----- Original Message -----

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Cc: [hidden email]

Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 3:00 PM

Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels

I have never used DISPLAY LABELS before, but trying it, I don't see this problem.
However, have you considered the CODEBOOK command for documenting the data?  It's quite versatile and can combine summary statistics with the meta data.  (Analyze>Reports>Codebook on the menus).

Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[hidden email]
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	07/05/2010 03:21 AM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Displaced labels using display labels
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I'm helping a neophyte SPSS user on a large and complex survey.  I'm running SPSS on a 10% sample looking for empty cases and redundant variables.  Trial runs for this and for test tables work fine.  However, good practice demands useful documentation, but I already have a problem.
 
Data Editor shows:
 
        Name                        Label
 
1    taken_survey_id      
2    grade                        Grade
3    token_id.559           (559)Grade 9
4    token_id.560           (560)Grade 10
 
..but when I run:
 
display labels .
 
I get:
 
Variable                Position    Label
 
taken_survey_id        449        <none>    
grade                               1        <none>
token_id.559                 2        Grade
token_id.560                  3        (560)Grade 10
 
All the labels have been displaced by one line: any idea why?