OUTPUT SAVE requires full filepath with CD already set?

[D.R. Wahlgren]

Gang,
I'm trying to learn how to use the newer features in the Mac v16
version with regard to the various OUTPUT functions.

First, I had used the CD command to set the filepath to my working
directory such that I don't have to specify the full path on
subsequent (eg, GET FILE) commands.

GET FILE worked fine omitting the full path.  However, when I tried
to save my output to a file using:

OUTPUT SAVE OUTFILE='testoutput1.spv'.

I got an error message saying it was an invalid file specification.
I had only one output window open, so I didn't think I needed to
specify it's name, but I tried again using the name just to see if it
made a difference:

OUTPUT SAVE name=testout1 OUTFILE='testoutput1.spv'.

This produced the same error.

So am I correct in concluding that the CD command does NOT apply to
OUTPUT SAVE commands and that I still have to specify full file
paths?  If so, is the same true of OUTPUT OPEN?

thanks,
_dennis
--
Dennis R. Wahlgren, M.A.

Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health
San Diego State University
http://www.cbeach.org


"Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars--mere
globs of gas atoms.  Nothing is 'mere.'  I too can see the stars on a
desert night, and feel them.  But do I see less or more?"
--Richard Feynman

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[Peck, Jon]

This is an interesting question.  The CD command applies to the backend working directory, but OUTPUT SAVE et al are actually executed on the frontend, which, in distributed mode, would be on a completely different computer with, obviously, a different file system where the backend working directory would be irrelevant.  Currently in SPSS 16, the backend working directory does not apply to this particular syntax.  That may change in the future when running in local mode.

HTH,
Jon Peck

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of D.R. Wahlgren
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 1:59 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [SPSSX-L] OUTPUT SAVE requires full filepath with CD already set?

Gang,
I'm trying to learn how to use the newer features in the Mac v16
version with regard to the various OUTPUT functions.

First, I had used the CD command to set the filepath to my working
directory such that I don't have to specify the full path on
subsequent (eg, GET FILE) commands.

GET FILE worked fine omitting the full path.  However, when I tried
to save my output to a file using:

OUTPUT SAVE OUTFILE='testoutput1.spv'.

I got an error message saying it was an invalid file specification.
I had only one output window open, so I didn't think I needed to
specify it's name, but I tried again using the name just to see if it
made a difference:

OUTPUT SAVE name=testout1 OUTFILE='testoutput1.spv'.

This produced the same error.

So am I correct in concluding that the CD command does NOT apply to
OUTPUT SAVE commands and that I still have to specify full file
paths?  If so, is the same true of OUTPUT OPEN?

thanks,
_dennis
--
Dennis R. Wahlgren, M.A.

Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health
San Diego State University
http://www.cbeach.org


"Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars--mere
globs of gas atoms.  Nothing is 'mere.'  I too can see the stars on a
desert night, and feel them.  But do I see less or more?"
--Richard Feynman

=====================
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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command. To leave the list, send the command
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[D.R. Wahlgren]

At 3:51 PM -0500 4/11/08, Peck, Jon wrote:

>This is an interesting question.  The CD command applies to the
>backend working directory, but OUTPUT SAVE et al are actually
>executed on the frontend, which, in distributed mode, would be on a
>completely different computer with, obviously, a different file
>system where the backend working directory would be irrelevant.
>Currently in SPSS 16, the backend working directory does not apply
>to this particular syntax.  That may change in the future when
>running in local mode.
>
>HTH,
>Jon Peck

Thanks, Jon, but I have to admit that all that about frontend,
backend, distributed, etc is Greek to me.

Bottom line: is this how it is supposed to work?  And if so, is there
anything else that the CD command helps simplify when running on a
desktop computer, other than GET FILE commands?  Maybe SAVE OUTFILE?
Still it seems odd that this applies only to data files and not to
output files.

Sometimes I miss the DOS days when it just took a simple SET LIST
command to start a new output file and you'd never need file paths
for data, syntax or output, as long as you started the app in the
directory you wanted to work in :)

thanks,
_dennis

--
Dennis R. Wahlgren, M.A.

Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health
San Diego State University
http://www.cbeach.org


"Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars--mere
globs of gas atoms.  Nothing is 'mere.'  I too can see the stars on a
desert night, and feel them.  But do I see less or more?"
--Richard Feynman

=====================
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

[Peck, Jon]

CD applies to all file references made with commands other than the OUTPUT family, because those are executed on the frontend (data files, templates, OMS output files, INSERT and INCLUDE commands, etc).  If you were using SPSS Server, the output and user interface would be on one computer and the data and procedures on another.  Output belongs to the frontend while data belong to the backend.

Because for users who are not using Server, this distinction does seem confusing, we may make CD, or, more generally, the backend working directory, apply to the output commands in the future when you are not using SPSS Server.

HTH,
Jon

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of D.R. Wahlgren
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 3:34 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] OUTPUT SAVE requires full filepath with CD already set?

At 3:51 PM -0500 4/11/08, Peck, Jon wrote:

>This is an interesting question.  The CD command applies to the
>backend working directory, but OUTPUT SAVE et al are actually
>executed on the frontend, which, in distributed mode, would be on a
>completely different computer with, obviously, a different file
>system where the backend working directory would be irrelevant.
>Currently in SPSS 16, the backend working directory does not apply
>to this particular syntax.  That may change in the future when
>running in local mode.
>
>HTH,
>Jon Peck

Thanks, Jon, but I have to admit that all that about frontend,
backend, distributed, etc is Greek to me.

Bottom line: is this how it is supposed to work?  And if so, is there
anything else that the CD command helps simplify when running on a
desktop computer, other than GET FILE commands?  Maybe SAVE OUTFILE?
Still it seems odd that this applies only to data files and not to
output files.

Sometimes I miss the DOS days when it just took a simple SET LIST
command to start a new output file and you'd never need file paths
for data, syntax or output, as long as you started the app in the
directory you wanted to work in :)

thanks,
_dennis

--
Dennis R. Wahlgren, M.A.

Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health
San Diego State University
http://www.cbeach.org


"Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars--mere
globs of gas atoms.  Nothing is 'mere.'  I too can see the stars on a
desert night, and feel them.  But do I see less or more?"
--Richard Feynman

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