SPSSX Discussion

Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

Classic

List

Threaded

6 messages Options

russellsimco

Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

Hi All,

I'm a new SPSS user coming from a Stata environment.

I want to refer to all variables in my set with suffix _A21 (for example) in order to quickly run frequencies, recodes, etc etc.

In the stata coding environment I would input command *_A21 which would enable to command on all variables ending with _A21

Is there any equivalent in SPSS or am I just going to have to tediously write each variable out?

Thanks,

russell

Jon K Peck

Re: Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

If the variables are contiguous in the file, you can use the TO construct.

For a more general mechanism, if you install the Python Essentials and the SPSSINC SELECT VARIABLES extension command (Utilities > Define Variable Macro) from the SPSS Community website (www.ibm.com/developerworks/spssdevcentral), you can use it to define a macro that refers to a set of variables selected based on regular expressions, variable type, measurement level etc and use that. In your example, this might be

SPSSINC SELECT VARIABLES MACRONAME="!A21"
/PROPERTIES PATTERN = "*_A21$".
and then, say, for example,
DESCRIPTIVES VARIABLES=!A21.

The regular expression here selects all names that end with _A21. After running the SELECT command, the symbol !A21 expands to the list of matching names wherever it is used.

Jon Peck (no "h") aka Kim
Senior Software Engineer, IBM
[hidden email]
phone: 720-342-5621

From: russellsimco <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email],
Date: 06/04/2013 01:09 PM
Subject: [SPSSX-L] Refer to multiple variables using common suffix
Sent by: "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

Hi All, I'm a new SPSS user coming from a Stata environment. I want to refer to all variables in my set with suffix _A21 (for example) in order to quickly run frequencies, recodes, etc etc. In the stata coding environment I would input command *_A21 which would enable to command on all variables ending with _A21 Is there any equivalent in SPSS or am I just going to have to tediously write each variable out? Thanks, russell -- View this message in context:http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/Refer-to-multiple-variables-using-common-suffix-tp5720548.htmlSent 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

Albert-Jan Roskam

Re: Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

In reply to this post by russellsimco

Hi,

If the variables are contiguous in the file you can use TO: v1_a21 TO v1000_a21.

If not, you could do (untested):
begin program.
import spss, spssaux
varnames = " ".join([v.VariableName for v in spssaux.VariableDict(pattern="(?i)\w+_A21")])
spss.SetMacroValue("!a21vars", varnames)
end program.

Then you can refer to those vars in your code as !a21vars, which is a macro.

the regular expression pattern will match regardless of casing (?i), which may already be part of the variabledict class (I don't recall).

Regards,
Albert-Jan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a
fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

> From: russellsimco <[hidden email]>
> To: [hidden email]
> Cc:
> Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 4:08 PM
> Subject: [SPSSX-L] Refer to multiple variables using common suffix
>
> Hi All,
>
> I'm a new SPSS user coming from a Stata environment.
>
> I want to refer to all variables in my set with suffix _A21 (for example) in
> order to quickly run frequencies, recodes, etc etc.
>
> In the stata coding environment I would input command *_A21 which would
> enable to command on all variables ending with _A21
>
> Is there any equivalent in SPSS or am I just going to have to tediously
> write each variable out?
>
> Thanks,
>
> russell
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/Refer-to-multiple-variables-using-common-suffix-tp5720548.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

russellsimco

Re: Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

In reply to this post by Jon K Peck

Thanks for your help, I'll try this solution...good to know that there are user-developped add-ons for spss as well (as stata).

On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 3:38 PM, Jon K Peck [via SPSSX Discussion] <[hidden email]> wrote:

The regular expression here selects all names that end with _A21. After running the SELECT command, the symbol !A21 expands to the list of matching names wherever it is used.

Jon Peck (no "h") aka Kim
Senior Software Engineer, IBM

[hidden email]
phone: <a href="tel:720-342-5621" value="+17203425621" target="_blank">720-342-5621

From: russellsimco <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email],

Date: 06/04/2013 01:09 PM
Subject: [SPSSX-L] Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

Sent by: "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

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

If you reply to this email, your message will be added to the discussion below:

http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/Refer-to-multiple-variables-using-common-suffix-tp5720548p5720568.html

To unsubscribe from Refer to multiple variables using common suffix, click here.
NAML

View this message in context: Re: Refer to multiple variables using common suffix
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

Ruben Geert van den Berg

Re: Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

The pattern is any variable name ending with "_A21", right? Shouldn't that be

pattern=".*_A21$"

?

Jon K Peck

Re: Refer to multiple variables using common suffix

Sorry, Ruben is correct. "." matches any character, so ".*" matches any string of characters.

Jon Peck (no "h") aka Kim
Senior Software Engineer, IBM
[hidden email]
phone: 720-342-5621

From: Ruben Geert van den Berg <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email],
Date: 06/05/2013 01:36 AM
Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Refer to multiple variables using common suffix
Sent by: "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

The pattern is /any variable name ending with "_A21"/, right? Shouldn't that be pattern=".*_A21$" ? -- View this message in context:http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/Refer-to-multiple-variables-using-common-suffix-tp5720548p5720575.htmlSent 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