Problem with using a PARAMETER

[Boika Mileva]

Dear colleagues!

I am using SPSS 15 and I have the following problem trying to use a
parameter in order to keep variables with different names depending on the
year of the output data: I define the parameter in the following way:

DEFINE !Year()
“08”
!ENDDEFINE.

WHERE: “08” means, that the year is 2008.

Further on in the syntax, I have to write:

SAVE OUTFILE=!path+'TEMP_Data\IndDATA.sav'
KEEP NACE03 I08_01 I08_02 /COMPRESSED.

Everything is OK with this command, but when I try to replace 08 with my
parameter (!Year) in the following way:

SAVE OUTFILE=!path+'TEMP_Data\IndDATA.sav'
KEEP NACE03 "I" + !Year + "_01" + " I" + !Year + "_02" /COMPRESSED.

I get the following error message:

Error # 5242 in column 13.  Text: I00_01 I00_02
>Unexpected or invalid symbol in a variable list.
>This command not executed.

Obviously there is something wrong in my command. I would be grateful if
some of you suggests me how to solve my problem.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

With best wishes:

Boika Mileva

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[Albert-Jan Roskam]

So you want to save three vars, which have (at least in 2008) the following names: NACE03 I08_01 I08_02. I never use string concatenation in the way you describe. But I think you just used one plus-sign too many, and you also omitted a forward slash:
SAVE OUTFILE=!path + 'TEMP_Data\IndDATA.sav'
  / KEEP = NACE03
   "I" + !Year + "_01"
   "I" + !Year + "_02"
   /COMPRESSED.
If you use the code inside a macro, you should enclose all macros in !eval(!macroname).

Cheers!!
Albert-Jan


--- On Wed, 11/19/08, Boika Mileva <[hidden email]> wrote:

> From: Boika Mileva <[hidden email]>
> Subject: Problem with using a PARAMETER
> To: [hidden email]
> Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 10:44 AM
> Dear colleagues!
>
> I am using SPSS 15 and I have the following problem trying
> to use a
> parameter in order to keep variables with different names
> depending on the
> year of the output data: I define the parameter in the
> following way:
>
> DEFINE !Year()
> “08”
> !ENDDEFINE.
>
> WHERE: “08” means, that the year is 2008.
>
> Further on in the syntax, I have to write:
>
> SAVE OUTFILE=!path+'TEMP_Data\IndDATA.sav'
> KEEP NACE03 I08_01 I08_02 /COMPRESSED.
>
> Everything is OK with this command, but when I try to
> replace 08 with my
> parameter (!Year) in the following way:
>
> SAVE OUTFILE=!path+'TEMP_Data\IndDATA.sav'
> KEEP NACE03 "I" + !Year + "_01" +
> " I" + !Year + "_02" /COMPRESSED.
>
> I get the following error message:
>
> Error # 5242 in column 13.  Text: I00_01 I00_02
> >Unexpected or invalid symbol in a variable list.
> >This command not executed.
>
> Obviously there is something wrong in my command. I would
> be grateful if
> some of you suggests me how to solve my problem.
>
> THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
>
> With best wishes:
>
> Boika Mileva
>
> =====================
> 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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[Boika Mileva]

Dear Albert!

Thank you for your reply! Unfortunately, with your suggestion, I received
a similar result:

>Error # 5242 in column 2.  Text: I08_01
>Unexpected or invalid symbol in a variable list.
>This command not executed.


>Error # 5242 in column 2.  Text: I08_02
>Unexpected or invalid symbol in a variable list.

Obviously, the "combined" strings are just as the respective names of the
variables are, but SPSS expects name, not string. Probably the approach
should be different...

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[Frans Marcelissen-2]

Hi Boike.
You are correct, you can not mix string functions with strings in a var
list. A var list should, as far as I know, be a literal string (or a macro,
because the macro is evaluated before the procedure is called.)
The solution is to use an extra define:

----
DEFINE !Year()
1
!ENDDEFINE.

DEFINE !varnames(year = !TOKENS(1))
!CONCAT("I",!year,"_01") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_02")
!ENDDEFINE


SAVE OUTFILE='c:\TEMP\IndDATA.sav'
  / KEEP = !varnames year =  !Year
 /COMPRESSED.
----
(I tried this and did not get an error message)
With kind regards

-------------------------------------------
Frans Marcelissen
tel [phone]
email [hidden email]
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] Namens Boika
Mileva
Verzonden: woensdag 19 november 2008 14:06
Aan: [hidden email]
Onderwerp: Re: Problem with using a PARAMETER

Dear Albert!

Thank you for your reply! Unfortunately, with your suggestion, I received
a similar result:

>Error # 5242 in column 2.  Text: I08_01
>Unexpected or invalid symbol in a variable list.
>This command not executed.


>Error # 5242 in column 2.  Text: I08_02
>Unexpected or invalid symbol in a variable list.

Obviously, the "combined" strings are just as the respective names of the
variables are, but SPSS expects name, not string. Probably the approach
should be different...

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[Boika Mileva]

Hi Frans!

Thank you for the GREAT IDEA! Here is the whole part of the syntax, based
on your idea and IT WORKS PERFECTLY!
*========================================================================.
*%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%.
DEFINE !Year()
02
!ENDDEFINE.

DEFINE !varnames(year = !TOKENS(1))
!CONCAT("I",!year,"_01") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_02") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_03")
!CONCAT("I",!year,"_04") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_05") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_06")
!CONCAT("I",!year,"_07") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_08") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_09")
!CONCAT("I",!year,"_10") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_11") !CONCAT("I",!year,"_12")
!ENDDEFINE.

*%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%.

SAVE OUTFILE=!path+'TEMP_Data\IndDATA.sav'
  / KEEP = NACE03 !varnames year = !Year
 /COMPRESSED.

*========================================================================.

Thank you once more time!

With best wishes!

Boika

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