Replace special characters in variable labels

[drfg2008]

On another platform, someone is looking for a solution to replace special characters in variable labels. Is that possible without Python?

I had found something similar on that platform once, but can not find the post.

Thank you.

[Art Kendall]

This is a kludge if you only have a few characters to replace.
switch to the variables view
from some place (e.g., a syntax window )pick up a string you want to replace (Cntl-C on windows).
click the header "label" at the top of that column. It will highlight the column.
click <edit> <replace>
in the first edit box paste the bad string. (Cntl-V on windows).
in the other edit box type the desired string.
click <replace all>

If you cannot type the undesired string in a syntax window, try copying a label in to the first edit box and then delete character until all that is left is the string you want to replace.

I tried it using "%" as the old string and "percent" as the new string on version 20 under windows7 home premium 64-bit.

hth

Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants


On 10/7/2011 3:42 AM, drfg2008 wrote:

On another platform, someone is looking for a solution to replace special
characters in variable labels. Is that possible without Python?

I had found something similar on that platform once, but can not find the
post.

Thank you.

-----
Dr. Frank Gaeth
FU-Berlin

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[drfg2008]

Thanks Art.

For the asking 'professional' in this case, the mouse is his best friend, I suppose.

Frank

[Jon K Peck]

This would be trivial to automate with Python, but you can do a little better than manual editing with standard syntax.

Run code such as the following to generate prototype VARIABLE LABELS commands, and then use search and replace for the offending characters.

data list free /a b c.
begin data
1 2 3
end data.
variable label a "the labél fôr a".
variable label b "this ïs b".
variable label c "áèîôü".
dataset declare dict.
oms select tables /if subtypes='Variable Information'
/destination outfile=dict format=sav.
display dict.
omsend.
dataset activate dict.
PRINT OUTFILE="filespec" / "VARIABLE LABEL " Var1 '"' Label '"'.
exec.

Jon Peck (no "h")
Senior Software Engineer, IBM
[hidden email]
new phone: [phone]




From:        drfg2008 <[hidden email]>
To:        [hidden email]
Date:        10/08/2011 06:52 AM
Subject:        Re: [SPSSX-L] Replace special characters in variable labels
Sent by:        "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

Thanks Art.

For the asking 'professional' in this case, the mouse is his best friend, I
suppose.

Frank

-----
Dr. Frank Gaeth
FU-Berlin

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[Art Kendall]

You're welcome.

Art

On 10/8/2011 8:48 AM, drfg2008 wrote:

Thanks Art.

For the asking 'professional' in this case, the mouse is his best friend, I
suppose.

Frank

-----
Dr. Frank Gaeth
FU-Berlin

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