SPSSX Discussion

Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage returns

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Claus D. Hansen

Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage returns

Dear List,

I am in the midst of trying to extract some data from an online survey
we've been conducting. In this survey we have several variables where
people were allowed to enter text (e.g. they had to write the sports they
participate in).

Some of the participants have written a text that contains carriage
returns (e.g. when they have separated three different types of sport by a
carriage return).

Is it possible to make a syntax that searches through a string variable
and creates a number of new variables with the text that is separated by
each of the carriage return for each participant? I believe the clue to
this must be the INDEX or RINDEX command but can anyone give me an example
of how it works and how to search for a carriage return.

Best regards,

Claus D. Hansen
Department of Occupational Medicine
Herning Hospital
Denmark

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Albert-Jan Roskam

Re: Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage returns

Hi Claus,

Did you try reading the source file using GET DATA,
and with DELIMITERS = '/t,' / ARRANGEMENT = DELIMITED?

Cheers!!
Albert-Jan

--- "Claus D. Hansen" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Dear List,
>
> I am in the midst of trying to extract some data
> from an online survey
> we've been conducting. In this survey we have
> several variables where
> people were allowed to enter text (e.g. they had to
> write the sports they
> participate in).
>
> Some of the participants have written a text that
> contains carriage
> returns (e.g. when they have separated three
> different types of sport by a
> carriage return).
>
> Is it possible to make a syntax that searches
> through a string variable
> and creates a number of new variables with the text
> that is separated by
> each of the carriage return for each participant? I
> believe the clue to
> this must be the INDEX or RINDEX command but can
> anyone give me an example
> of how it works and how to search for a carriage
> return.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Claus D. Hansen
> Department of Occupational Medicine
> Herning Hospital
> Denmark
>
> =====================
> 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
>

____________________________________________________________________________________
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=====================
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Claus D. Hansen

Re: Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage returns

In reply to this post by Claus D. Hansen

Hello Albert-Jan,

and thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work.

The trouble is that there are carriage returns in the middle of the text
string which is delimited by " " defining it as text. Each variable is
delimited by semi-colons.

So I can import the file into SPSS format but ends up with the string
variable containing carriage returns. Shouldn't there be some way of
creating a syntax that would let you search for these carriage returns -
using the INDEX commando?

Another possibility would be to use the find and replace function in Excel.
However I can't seem to get it to search for carriage return - but if anyone
knows how to do this I'd be very grateful.

Thank you in advance,

Claus

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Albert-jan Roskam [mailto:[hidden email]]
> Sent: 14. februar 2008 14:37
> To: Claus D. Hansen; [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage
> returns
>
> Hi Claus,
>
> Did you try reading the source file using GET DATA,
> and with DELIMITERS = '/t,' / ARRANGEMENT = DELIMITED?
>
>
> Cheers!!
> Albert-Jan
>
> --- "Claus D. Hansen" <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> > Dear List,
> >
> > I am in the midst of trying to extract some data
> > from an online survey
> > we've been conducting. In this survey we have
> > several variables where
> > people were allowed to enter text (e.g. they had to
> > write the sports they
> > participate in).
> >
> > Some of the participants have written a text that
> > contains carriage
> > returns (e.g. when they have separated three
> > different types of sport by a
> > carriage return).
> >
> > Is it possible to make a syntax that searches
> > through a string variable
> > and creates a number of new variables with the text
> > that is separated by
> > each of the carriage return for each participant? I
> > believe the clue to
> > this must be the INDEX or RINDEX command but can
> > anyone give me an example
> > of how it works and how to search for a carriage
> > return.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Claus D. Hansen
> > Department of Occupational Medicine
> > Herning Hospital
> > Denmark
> >
> > =====================
> > 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
> >
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
> _____________
> Be a better friend, newshound, and
> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
> http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

Peck, Jon

Re: Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage returns

Yes you can do that. BTW, if you change the format of a variable from, say, A100 to AHEX200, you can see the actual character codes. Most likely these will be carriage return/line feed, but they could be just CR or just LF.

However, this is a bit tricky, because you can't put literal CRLF in your syntax or you will break something.

This code should get you started.

compute strvar = replace(strvar, string(10, ib1),'!').
compute strvar = replace(strvar, string(13, ib1),'!').

It turns the cr lf sequence into !! Then you can split these up as needed. The ib format allows you to enter the numerical code for a character.

HTH,
Jon Peck

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Claus D. Hansen
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 11:10 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Extracting parts of string variables separated by carriage returns

Hello Albert-Jan,

and thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work.

The trouble is that there are carriage returns in the middle of the text
string which is delimited by " " defining it as text. Each variable is
delimited by semi-colons.

So I can import the file into SPSS format but ends up with the string
variable containing carriage returns. Shouldn't there be some way of
creating a syntax that would let you search for these carriage returns -
using the INDEX commando?

Another possibility would be to use the find and replace function in Excel.
However I can't seem to get it to search for carriage return - but if anyone
knows how to do this I'd be very grateful.

Thank you in advance,

Claus

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INFO REFCARD

=====================
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command. To leave the list, send the command
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For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD