Error reading raw data file from drive e:

[John F Hall]

I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied straight across from 15 to 18.

 

data list           file ‘e:class.dat’        

                records 1       

                 /1 serial 1-2

....

 metres 29-32 

 feet 34

 inches 36-37.

 

The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?

[Jon K Peck]

Your filespec is assuming an unspecified current directory on drive e:.  Furthermore, those are not the regular apostrophe quotes in the text, though the email may have changed them.  Otherwise, you need to post the actual error message.
Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[hidden email]
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 12:02 PM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied straight across from 15 to 18.
 
data list           file ‘e:class.dat’        
                records 1        
                 /1 serial 1-2
....
 metres 29-32  
 feet 34
 inches 36-37.
 

The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?

[John F Hall]

Jon

 

Thanks for this.  I changed the quotes to primes within the syntax file and it worked first time.  The primes got changed to quotes when text was copied and pasted from a Word document into 18.  However 15 worked with the original text.  Weird.

 

I use a: or e: in the tutorials to avoid long filenames.  Users can copy raw data files direct from my website to their own floppy or CD, otherwise they have to specify incredibly long filenames.

 

John

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

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Cc: [hidden email]

Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:06 PM

Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:

Your filespec is assuming an unspecified current directory on drive e:.  Furthermore, those are not the regular apostrophe quotes in the text, though the email may have changed them.  Otherwise, you need to post the actual error message.
Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[hidden email]
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 12:02 PM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied straight across from 15 to 18.
 
data list           file ‘e:class.dat’        
                records 1        
                 /1 serial 1-2
....
 metres 29-32  
 feet 34
 inches 36-37.
 

The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?

[Jon K Peck]

I would really suggest not using relative paths like that as it is very fragile.  If you want to avoid long paths, then either use the DOS SUBST command to map a drive lower down on the files, or, for an SPSS solution, define a file handle at the top pointing to the appropriate directory and just reference that everywhere.  That's what I do to avoid proliferating location information throughout a file.  And file handles are very natural.




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

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 12:43 PM
Subject:	Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

Jon
 
Thanks for this.  I changed the quotes to primes within the syntax file and it worked first time.  The primes got changed to quotes when text was copied and pasted from a Word document into 18.  However 15 worked with the original text.  Weird.
 
I use a: or e: in the tutorials to avoid long filenames.  Users can copy raw data files direct from my website to their own floppy or CD, otherwise they have to specify incredibly long filenames.
 
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Jon K Peck
To: John F Hall
Cc: [hidden email]
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:06 PM
Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:


Your filespec is assuming an unspecified current directory on drive e:.  Furthermore, those are not the regular apostrophe quotes in the text, though the email may have changed them.  Otherwise, you need to post the actual error message.
Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
peck@...
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <johnfhall@...>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 12:02 PM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied straight across from 15 to 18.
 
data list           file ‘e:class.dat’        
               records 1        
                /1 serial 1-2
....
metres 29-32  
feet 34
inches 36-37.
 

The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?

[Bruce Weaver]

This will probably make Jon sigh (he may even call me a dinosaur), but I'll go ahead anyway.  ;-)  I still use macros (rather than file handles) to define paths, as in item number 1 here:

   http://www.spsstools.net/Macros.htm#Utils

I have two main reasons for sticking with macros:

1. I don't remember the details, and can't find an example now, but I've found them to be more flexible than file handles; and

2. I think they provide a nice gentle way to introduce people to macros.

Path macros like this were certainly the first macros I used (back in the days before file handles).

Bruce

Jon K Peck wrote

I would really suggest not using relative paths like that as it is very
fragile.  If you want to avoid long paths, then either use the DOS SUBST
command to map a drive lower down on the files, or, for an SPSS solution,
define a file handle at the top pointing to the appropriate directory and
just reference that everywhere.  That's what I do to avoid proliferating
location information throughout a file.  And file handles are very
natural.




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



From:
John F Hall <[e-mail]>
To:
[e-mail]
Date:
03/26/2010 12:43 PM
Subject:
Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:
"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[e-mail]>



Jon
 
Thanks for this.  I changed the quotes to primes within the syntax file
and it worked first time.  The primes got changed to quotes when text was
copied and pasted from a Word document into 18.  However 15 worked with
the original text.  Weird.
 
I use a: or e: in the tutorials to avoid long filenames.  Users can copy
raw data files direct from my website to their own floppy or CD, otherwise
they have to specify incredibly long filenames.
 
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Jon K Peck
To: John F Hall
Cc: [e-mail]
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:06 PM
Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:


Your filespec is assuming an unspecified current directory on drive e:.
Furthermore, those are not the regular apostrophe quotes in the text,
though the email may have changed them.  Otherwise, you need to post the
actual error message.
Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[e-mail]
312-651-3435


From:
John F Hall <[e-mail]> 
To:
[e-mail]
Date:
03/26/2010 12:02 PM
Subject:
[SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:
"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[e-mail]>




I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it
takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even
work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied
straight across from 15 to 18.
 
data list           file ?e:class.dat?
                records 1        
                 /1 serial 1-2
....
 metres 29-32  
 feet 34
 inches 36-37.
 
The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?

[Jon K Peck]

Sigh :-)

I recommend file handles precisely because they AVOID the need to tangle with macro for common cases.  Especially with partial paths, file handles are so much easier to work with

file handle brucesdata /name = "c:/data/bruce/latestfiles".
get file= "brucesdata/hotstuff.sav".


Some years ago we reworked file handles to make them friendlier, so if you used them ages ago, you would have run into more difficulties, especially with output specs.

No doubt, macros are more powerful, but my vote is to match the tool to the problem.  If you look at the SPSSINC PROCESS FILES extension command I posted recently, you will see that it generates both file handles and macros to refer to filenames, rootnames, and input and output locations.  The file handles are very easy to use, but if you need to take apart the file filespec, you need the macro form.  But the macro expressions get ugly fast.  This example from the help for that command.

define !out () !quote(!concat(!unquote(!eval(!job_viewerdir)), "/", !unquote(!eval(!job_datafileroot)), ".xls"))
!enddefine.
output export /xls DOCUMENTFILE =!out.

Regards,

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

From:	Bruce Weaver <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 01:27 PM
Subject:	Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

This will probably make Jon sigh (he may even call me a dinosaur), but I'll
go ahead anyway.  ;-)  I still use macros (rather than file handles) to
define paths, as in item number 1 here:

  http://www.spsstools.net/Macros.htm#Utils

I have two main reasons for sticking with macros:

1. I don't remember the details, and can't find an example now, but I've
found them to be more flexible than file handles; and

2. I think they provide a nice gentle way to introduce people to macros.

Path macros like this were certainly the first macros I used (back in the
days before file handles).

Bruce



Jon K Peck wrote:
>
> I would really suggest not using relative paths like that as it is very
> fragile.  If you want to avoid long paths, then either use the DOS SUBST
> command to map a drive lower down on the files, or, for an SPSS solution,
> define a file handle at the top pointing to the appropriate directory and
> just reference that everywhere.  That's what I do to avoid proliferating
> location information throughout a file.  And file handles are very
> natural.
>
>
>
>
> Jon Peck
> SPSS, an IBM Company
> [hidden email]
> 312-651-3435
>
>
>
> From:
> John F Hall <[hidden email]>
> To:
> [hidden email]
> Date:
> 03/26/2010 12:43 PM
> Subject:
> Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
> Sent by:
> "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>
>
>
>
> Jon
>
> Thanks for this.  I changed the quotes to primes within the syntax file
> and it worked first time.  The primes got changed to quotes when text was
> copied and pasted from a Word document into 18.  However 15 worked with
> the original text.  Weird.
>
> I use a: or e: in the tutorials to avoid long filenames.  Users can copy
> raw data files direct from my website to their own floppy or CD, otherwise
> they have to specify incredibly long filenames.
>
> John
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jon K Peck
> To: John F Hall
> Cc: [hidden email]
> Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
>
>
> Your filespec is assuming an unspecified current directory on drive e:.
> Furthermore, those are not the regular apostrophe quotes in the text,
> though the email may have changed them.  Otherwise, you need to post the
> actual error message.
> Jon Peck
> SPSS, an IBM Company
> [hidden email]
> 312-651-3435
>
>
> From:
> John F Hall <[hidden email]>
> To:
> [hidden email]
> Date:
> 03/26/2010 12:02 PM
> Subject:
> [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
> Sent by:
> "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>
>
>
>
>
> I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it
> takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even
> work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied
> straight across from 15 to 18.
>
> data list           file ?e:class.dat?
>                 records 1
>                  /1 serial 1-2
> ....
>  metres 29-32
>  feet 34
>  inches 36-37.
>
> The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?
>
>
>


-----
--
Bruce Weaver
[hidden email]
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
--
View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/Error-reading-raw-data-file-from-drive-e%3A-tp28045952p28046923.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

[John F Hall]

Jon

 

It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:

 

file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'

 

Think of all those key depressions multiplied by n million users!  Reminds of the "Tail waggng dog" exchange I had with ViAnn way back when. 

 

Forget it.  My data list 'e:class.dat' works and I'm sticking to it.

 

John

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

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Cc: [hidden email]

Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:59 PM

Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:

I would really suggest not using relative paths like that as it is very fragile.  If you want to avoid long paths, then either use the DOS SUBST command to map a drive lower down on the files, or, for an SPSS solution, define a file handle at the top pointing to the appropriate directory and just reference that everywhere.  That's what I do to avoid proliferating location information throughout a file.  And file handles are very natural.




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

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 12:43 PM
Subject:	Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

Jon
 
Thanks for this.  I changed the quotes to primes within the syntax file and it worked first time.  The primes got changed to quotes when text was copied and pasted from a Word document into 18.  However 15 worked with the original text.  Weird.
 
I use a: or e: in the tutorials to avoid long filenames.  Users can copy raw data files direct from my website to their own floppy or CD, otherwise they have to specify incredibly long filenames.
 
John
----- Original Message -----
From: [hidden email]
To: [hidden email]
Cc: [hidden email]
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:06 PM
Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:


Your filespec is assuming an unspecified current directory on drive e:.  Furthermore, those are not the regular apostrophe quotes in the text, though the email may have changed them.  Otherwise, you need to post the actual error message.
Jon Peck
SPSS, an IBM Company
[hidden email]
312-651-3435

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/26/2010 12:02 PM
Subject:	[SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I've just installed and am working through PASW 18.  Though prettier, it takes three times longer to load and perform than SPSS 15 and won't even work with a simple bit of syntax which works fine with 15 and was copied straight across from 15 to 18.
 
data list           file ‘e:class.dat’        
               records 1        
                /1 serial 1-2
....
metres 29-32  
feet 34
inches 36-37.
 

The : in line 1 causes an error.  What did I do wrong?

[Richard Ristow]

At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:

It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:

file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'

This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its logical pieces -- something like (untested),

file handle myclassdata
   /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
            '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
            'class.dat'
===================== To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to [hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the command. To leave the list, send the command SIGNOFF SPSSX-L For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command INFO REFCARD

[John F Hall]

Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS (oops! PASW).

 

'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.  If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can see the column alignment.

 

http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt

 

Just tried:

data list
     fil 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'

 

and got:

 

Error # 34 in column 6. Text: http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t

PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification. The

file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid

drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or

specifies a non-sharable file.

Execution of this command stops.

Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?

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

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email] ; [hidden email]

Cc: [hidden email]

Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM

Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:

It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:

file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'

This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its logical pieces -- something like (untested),

file handle myclassdata
   /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
            '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
            'class.dat'

[Bruce Weaver]

John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in Word) to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of the "curly quotes".

Cheers,
Bruce

John F Hall-2 wrote

Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS (oops! PASW).

'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.  If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can see the column alignment.

http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt

Just tried:
data list
     fil 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt' 

and got:

Error # 34 in column 6. Text: http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t

PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification. The

file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid

drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or

specifies a non-sharable file.

Execution of this command stops.



Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?

----- Original Message -----
  From: Richard Ristow
  To: John F Hall ; [e-mail]
  Cc: Jon K Peck
  Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
  Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:


  At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:


    It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
  file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'

  This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its logical pieces -- something like (untested),

  file handle myclassdata
     /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
              '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
              'class.dat'

[Jon K Peck]

Actually, SPSS CAN fetch data over the Internet if you use the extension command
SPSSINC GETURI DATA.  
For example,
SPSSINC GETURI DATA URI="http:www.someplace.com/fred.sav"
FILETYPE=SAV DATASET=joe

Works for SPSS, SAS, Stata and Excel data and has a dialog box under File>Open>Internet Data.

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

From:	John F Hall <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/29/2010 11:35 PM
Subject:	Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS (oops! PASW).
 
'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.  If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can see the column alignment.
 
http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt
 
Just tried:
data list
    fil 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'
 
and got:
 

Error # 34 in column 6. Text: http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t

PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification. The

file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid

drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or

specifies a non-sharable file.

Execution of this command stops.

Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?

----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Ristow
To: John F Hall ; [hidden email]
Cc: Jon K Peck
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:

It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'

This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its logical pieces -- something like (untested),

file handle myclassdata
  /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
           '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
           'class.dat'

[Bruce Weaver]

Alternatively, I believe that if you create your syntax in a syntax window (or a text editor), and then copy & paste into the Word document, you will also end up having the proper quotes.  I'm sure that's how I did it when I wrote some tutorials in Word, and I did not have the problem John is describing.

Bruce Weaver wrote

John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in Word) to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of the "curly quotes".

Cheers,
Bruce

John F Hall-2 wrote

Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS (oops! PASW).

'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.  If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can see the column alignment.

http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt

Just tried:
data list
     fil 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt' 

and got:

Error # 34 in column 6. Text: http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t

PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification. The

file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid

drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or

specifies a non-sharable file.

Execution of this command stops.



Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?

----- Original Message -----
  From: Richard Ristow
  To: John F Hall ; [e-mail]
  Cc: Jon K Peck
  Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
  Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:


  At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:


    It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
  file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'

  This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its logical pieces -- something like (untested),

  file handle myclassdata
     /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
              '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
              'class.dat'

[Jon K Peck]

The issue is Word autocorrection.  By default, it tries to turn straight quotes into curly quotes.  The location varies with the Word version, but you need to uncheck the box in the AutoFormat Replace section
"Straight quotes" with "smart quotes".


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

From:	Bruce Weaver <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/30/2010 08:11 AM
Subject:	Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

Alternatively, I believe that if you create your syntax in a syntax window
(or a text editor), and then copy & paste into the Word document, you will
also end up having the proper quotes.  I'm sure that's how I did it when I
wrote some tutorials in Word, and I did not have the problem John is
describing.




Bruce Weaver wrote:
>
> John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document
> rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in
> Word) to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of
> the "curly quotes".
>
> Cheers,
> Bruce
>
>
>
> John F Hall-2 wrote:
>>
>> Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename
>> came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay
>> are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have
>> ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS
>> (oops! PASW).
>>
>> 'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.
>> If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes
>> and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat
>> form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format
>> (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can
>> see the column alignment.
>>
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt
>>
>> Just tried:
>> data list
>>      fil
>> 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'
>>
>> and got:
>>
>> Error # 34 in column 6. Text:
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t
>>
>> PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification.
>> The
>>
>> file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid
>>
>> drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or
>>
>> specifies a non-sharable file.
>>
>> Execution of this command stops.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Richard Ristow
>>   To: John F Hall ; [hidden email]
>>   Cc: Jon K Peck
>>   Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
>>   Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:
>>
>>
>>   At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:
>>
>>
>>     It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the
>> computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be
>> interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
>>   file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and
>> Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block
>> 1\myclass\class.dat'
>>
>>   This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable
>> code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its
>> logical pieces -- something like (untested),
>>
>>   file handle myclassdata
>>      /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
>>               '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
>>               'class.dat'
>>
>>
>
>


-----
--
Bruce Weaver
[hidden email]
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
--
View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/Error-reading-raw-data-file-from-drive-e%3A-tp28045952p28083043.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

[Maguin, Eugene]

I haven't been following this message series very closely but I think
another solution for the quote problem is in word to go into
tool>>customize, I think it is, and change the setting from '"smart" quotes'
to 'straight quotes'.

Gene Maguin

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
Bruce Weaver
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 10:07 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

Alternatively, I believe that if you create your syntax in a syntax window
(or a text editor), and then copy & paste into the Word document, you will
also end up having the proper quotes.  I'm sure that's how I did it when I
wrote some tutorials in Word, and I did not have the problem John is
describing.




Bruce Weaver wrote:

>
> John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document
> rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in
> Word) to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of
> the "curly quotes".
>
> Cheers,
> Bruce
>
>
>
> John F Hall-2 wrote:
>>
>> Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename
>> came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay
>> are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have
>> ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS
>> (oops! PASW).
>>
>> 'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.
>> If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes
>> and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat
>> form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format
>> (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can
>> see the column alignment.
>>
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt
>>
>> Just tried:
>> data list
>>      fil
>> 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'
>>
>> and got:
>>
>> Error # 34 in column 6. Text:
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t
>>
>> PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification.
>> The
>>
>> file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid
>>
>> drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or
>>
>> specifies a non-sharable file.
>>
>> Execution of this command stops.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Richard Ristow
>>   To: John F Hall ; [hidden email]
>>   Cc: Jon K Peck
>>   Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
>>   Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:
>>
>>
>>   At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:
>>
>>
>>     It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the
>> computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be
>> interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
>>   file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and
>> Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block
>> 1\myclass\class.dat'
>>
>>   This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable
>> code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its
>> logical pieces -- something like (untested),
>>
>>   file handle myclassdata
>>      /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
>>               '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
>>               'class.dat'
>>
>>
>
>

-----
--
Bruce Weaver
[hidden email]
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
--
View this message in context:
http://old.nabble.com/Error-reading-raw-data-file-from-drive-e%3A-tp28045952
p28083043.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

[John F Hall]

Bruce, Jon

 

Thanks for your suggestions: I'll have a look and try the special character insertion, but I retyped the primes in the Word doc and they still got changed.  Another ploy might be to use Courier font in the bits to copy and paste.  I'm trying to keep things simple and not put students off. 

 

The info about reading internet files is welcome and may eventually come in useful, but I don't want to throw it at first time (possibly anxious and naive) users.

 

I've been working on a new system of names for files on the website.  The Weebly window for filenames (when creating links) is very narrow and half of it is taken up with their index numbers, so I've divided the course into numbered sections and sub-sections and used those at the beginning of the (hidden) file names.  I can use any text I like for the links, but at least I can now see which file is which when creating them.  I've temporarily published a draft page to show you what I mean.  Ignore the colours: I'm experimenting to see which are the easiest to see.  This is accessible from the website left pane  Guide to SPSS tutorials  http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/guide-to-spss-tutorials.html and clicking on the link to Block 1.

 

I'm going to go through PASW18 with a toothcomb in my guise as naive entry-level student.  If there are any problems my users are likely to encounter, be sure I'll find them first.  As my old computer wizard Jim Ring used to say, "If it's Hall-proof, it's idiot-proof!"  Luckily I still have SPSS15, so I can revert to that if I have problems.  In any case many academic institutions are still on 15, so it looks as if I'll have to modify the tutorials to accommodate both versions.

 

The website http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/  is coming along in leaps and bounds: as well as the (temporary) guide to revamped SPSS tutorials it now has functioning Weblog and  Search pages.  Terry Blom has done all the complex technical stuff (amazing that a Natwest Bank IT specialist has retired to the same village in rural Normandy) while design and content is down to me.

 

I'll keep you posted re the primes.

 

John

 

PS  cc to others as they may not have picked up on the topic. 

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

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 PM

Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document
rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in Word)
to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of the
"curly quotes".

Cheers,
Bruce



John F Hall-2 wrote:

>
> Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename
> came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay
> are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have
> ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS
> (oops! PASW).
>
> 'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.  If
> you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes and
> cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat form
> (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format (Courier)
> which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can see the
> column alignment.
>
> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt
>
> Just tried:
> data list
>      fil
> 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'
>
> and got:
>
> Error # 34 in column 6. Text:
> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t
>
> PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification.
> The
>
> file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid
>
> drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or
>
> specifies a non-sharable file.
>
> Execution of this command stops.
>
>
>
> Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Richard Ristow
>   To: John F Hall ; [hidden email]
>   Cc: Jon K Peck
>   Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
>   Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:
>
>
>   At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:
>
>
>     It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the
> computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be
> interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
>   file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and
> Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\class.dat'
>
>   This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable
> code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its
> logical pieces -- something like (untested),
>
>   file handle myclassdata
>      /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
>               '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
>               'class.dat'
>
>

-----
--
Bruce Weaver
[hidden email]
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
--
View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/Error-reading-raw-data-file-from-drive-e%3A-tp28045952p28081195.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

[John F Hall]

Outlook Express sent my last message out whilst I was still writing it.  I was adding, "Everything was so much simpler in WordStar4!  It seems Word and PASW overcomplicate relatively simple tasks."   I'll add OE to the list as well.

 

Just had a mail from Prof. Malcolm Williams (Director, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences) saying (about name change to PASW but keeping SPSS logos etc.) "Its very confusing.  Bad time to do it now: there is serious competition from STATA/ R etc."  IBM/SPSS please take note.

 

Meanwhile I think I'll download R myself and see how it compares.

[Bruce Weaver]

Right.  As Jon noted in his post, it's to do with auto-correction.  Here's info on how to change the default settings.

   http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HP051901241033.aspx

Gene Maguin wrote

I haven't been following this message series very closely but I think
another solution for the quote problem is in word to go into
tool>>customize, I think it is, and change the setting from '"smart" quotes'
to 'straight quotes'.

Gene Maguin

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of
Bruce Weaver
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 10:07 AM
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

Alternatively, I believe that if you create your syntax in a syntax window
(or a text editor), and then copy & paste into the Word document, you will
also end up having the proper quotes.  I'm sure that's how I did it when I
wrote some tutorials in Word, and I did not have the problem John is
describing.




Bruce Weaver wrote:
>
> John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document
> rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in
> Word) to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of
> the "curly quotes".
>
> Cheers,
> Bruce
>
>
>
> John F Hall-2 wrote:
>>
>> Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename
>> came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay
>> are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have
>> ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS
>> (oops! PASW).
>>
>> 'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.
>> If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes
>> and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat
>> form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format
>> (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can
>> see the column alignment.
>>
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt
>>
>> Just tried:
>> data list
>>      fil
>> 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'
>>
>> and got:
>>
>> Error # 34 in column 6. Text:
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t
>>
>> PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification.
>> The
>>
>> file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid
>>
>> drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or
>>
>> specifies a non-sharable file.
>>
>> Execution of this command stops.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Richard Ristow
>>   To: John F Hall ; [e-mail]
>>   Cc: Jon K Peck
>>   Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
>>   Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:
>>
>>
>>   At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:
>>
>>
>>     It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the
>> computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be
>> interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
>>   file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and
>> Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block
>> 1\myclass\class.dat'
>>
>>   This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable
>> code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its
>> logical pieces -- something like (untested),
>>
>>   file handle myclassdata
>>      /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
>>               '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
>>               'class.dat'
>>
>>
>
>


-----
--
Bruce Weaver
[e-mail]
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
--
View this message in context:
http://old.nabble.com/Error-reading-raw-data-file-from-drive-e%3A-tp28045952
p28083043.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[e-mail] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[e-mail] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

[John F Hall]

It was already unchecked: investigation continues.

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

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 4:16 PM

Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

The issue is Word autocorrection.  By default, it tries to turn straight quotes into curly quotes.  The location varies with the Word version, but you need to uncheck the box in the AutoFormat Replace section
"Straight quotes" with "smart quotes".


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

From:	Bruce Weaver <[hidden email]>
To:	[hidden email]
Date:	03/30/2010 08:11 AM
Subject:	Re: [SPSSX-L] Error reading raw data file from drive e:
Sent by:	"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

Alternatively, I believe that if you create your syntax in a syntax window
(or a text editor), and then copy & paste into the Word document, you will
also end up having the proper quotes.  I'm sure that's how I did it when I
wrote some tutorials in Word, and I did not have the problem John is
describing.




Bruce Weaver wrote:

>
> John, have you considered trying to fix the problem in your Word document
> rather than in SPSS?  You could create a short-cut key combination (in
> Word) to insert special character 0027, which is what you need in place of
> the "curly quotes".
>
> Cheers,
> Bruce
>
>
>
> John F Hall-2 wrote:
>>
>> Neat layout, but that would only work on my PC (where the sample filename
>> came from).  Don't forget, this is the very first bit of SPSS syntax thay
>> are going to write and in many cases the very first syntax pane they have
>> ever opened, quite possibly the very first time they have opened SPSS
>> (oops! PASW).
>>
>> 'e:class.dat' works, but only if you type the primes direct in syntax.
>> If you copy and paste from Word the primes get turned into curly quotes
>> and cause a error.  The actual data are on the site: one copy in *.dat
>> form (which Windows thinks is a movie!) and another in *.txt format
>> (Courier) which displays immediately in fixed width format so users can
>> see the column alignment.
>>
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt
>>
>> Just tried:
>> data list
>>      fil
>> 'http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.txt'
>>
>> and got:
>>
>> Error # 34 in column 6. Text:
>> http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/9/8/2998485/class.t
>>
>> PASW Statistics cannot access a file with the given file specification.
>> The
>>
>> file specification is either syntactically invalid, specifies an invalid
>>
>> drive, specifies a protected directory, specifies a protected file, or
>>
>> specifies a non-sharable file.
>>
>> Execution of this command stops.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wouldn't it be nice if SPSS could do that?
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Richard Ristow
>>   To: John F Hall ; [hidden email]
>>   Cc: Jon K Peck
>>   Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:33 AM
>>   Subject: Re: Error reading raw data file from drive e:
>>
>>
>>   At 10:42 AM 3/27/2010, John F Hall wrote:
>>
>>
>>     It was bad enough trying to drag the anti-empiricists into the
>> computer lab in the first place.  Do you seriously think they'd be
>> interested in (or that I'd want to explain)a command:
>>   file handle myclassdata /name ='C:\Documents and
>> Settings\Owner\Desktop\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block
>> 1\myclass\class.dat'
>>
>>   This won't solve the whole problem; but, good practice writing readable
>> code can make that statement much less daunting, by emphasizing its
>> logical pieces -- something like (untested),
>>
>>   file handle myclassdata
>>      /name ='C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop'       +
>>               '\Survey Analysis Workshop\Block 1\myclass\'  +
>>               'class.dat'
>>
>>
>
>

-----
--
Bruce Weaver
[hidden email]
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
--
View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/Error-reading-raw-data-file-from-drive-e%3A-tp28045952p28083043.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD

[John F Hall]

Dennis

 

Thanks for your note.  I'm a retired academic with no institutional attachment using SPSS on an academic author licence to update tutorials based on the postgrad course I developed and taught from 1976 to 1992, when I took early retirement. 

 

The materials for this course were all written in WordStar under DOS for use with SPSS-X 4-8 on a Vax mainframe under VMS and EDT.  The new tutorials are for the Windows version on a PC and take advantage of the colour-coded text, tables formats and hyperlinks available in Word.  I'm experimenting with text copied from notepads or direct from PASW syntax files to get round the problem, but I suspect it arises from later releases of Word or, more likely, "improvements" from SPSS 15 to PASW 18.

 

Some of the advice I get from the SPSS team is like I get in the car to go shopping, turn the ignition and get messages telling me I have to get the battery, carburettor or whatever from the garage and install them I can go anywhere.  I want everything to work as downloaded from the second users switch on, without having to add any extras or frills.

 

Before I got involved in this in 2001 (by offering to review Julie Pallant SPSS Survival Manual for the UK Social Research Association: see reviews of 1st and 2nd editions on my website) I had never used Windows or Word (or PowerPoint) but now I'm hooked.  Some ask, "Why bother?", but I feel that my pedagogic approach is unique and that my course is more fun than others currently available, most of which are oriented more to inferential statistics than to survey research.

 

The tutorials and more (research reports etc from 40 years in survey research) are on my website http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/ but there remain many more to convert and update.  Have a look and let me know what you think.

 

John Hall

 

 

 

 

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

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 6:47 AM

Subject: RE: Error reading raw data file from drive e:

John

Not sure if your University uses Windows or Mac or something else.    

If Windows consider using NotePad - it is available to all, is very simple, and does not change anything like Word does.

Plus it saves to a text file rather than as a Word doc. 

 

Personally I like TextPad for both data and syntax but that would mean a purchase.

 

Dennis Deck

RMC Research