SPSS 17 instability/weirdness

[Graham Wright-2]

I got some really strange behavior with SPSS 17 for windows XP trying to
run a simple do if command. All I was trying to do is this:

do if binaryscenerioID="1".
recode Isrscenerios (5=1) (4=2) (3=3) (2=4) (1=5) into Issagree.
end if.

When I tried to run this though, when SPSS got to the end if command it
put an EXTRA period at the end so that when the syntax displayed in the
output window it looked like this:

do if binaryscenerioID="1".
recode Isrscenerios (5=1) (4=2) (3=3) (2=4) (1=5) into Issagree.
end if. .

And then....everything got weird... SPSS gave me this error message:

"
 >Warning # 142.  Command name: end
 >LOOP has no effect on this command.

 >Error # 1.  Command name: end
 >The first word in the line is not recognized as an SPSS Statistics
command.
 >This command not executed.

 >Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."


And then EVERY command I put in, freqs, recodes, anything, all just gave
me this error message

">Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."

Of course I wasn't using loops. I tried to do another end if, or end
loop command but they all just gave me the same error:

">Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."

I reopened the dataset and everything was back to normal, and ran the
same syntax again,  and it did the same thing again. Finally, I tried
running "end if" WITHOUT a period, and sure enough, SPSS put one in on
it's own and stopped the loop. Then I tried closing the dataset and
opening it up again for a third time, but this time everything works
fine, and running the same exact syntax produces no errors.

  I can't duplicate this bug, so I'm not going to worry about it, but
has anyone else had this problem? I've had some weird experiences with
SPSS doing some really bizzare unstable things in the past (with version
15 mostly),. but I thought we were done with that.

-Graham

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[Langston, Eric]

Graham-

There have been some times where I've run code -- mostly with loops, do
repeats, or do ifs I think -- that SPSS has gotten "caught" in "_SLINE".
Like you said, "and then ... everything is weird".  I was never able to
get it to snap out of it or move past the error or save the file
correctly.  I just ended up restarting SPSS.

I *think* it has to do with SPSS not exiting out of its "looping" mode
correctly.  However, I too was never able to replicate the problem.  But
I remember it had typically been when I was writing experimental syntax
and doing things I probably shouldn't have been doing -- mixing various
loop structures and having an extra period or something.

I know this doesn't fix the problem.  But it's good to know that I
wasn't the only person that experienced the weirdness.

-Eric


-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Wright [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 10:33 AM
Subject: SPSS 17 instability/weirdness

I got some really strange behavior with SPSS 17 for windows XP trying to
run a simple do if command. All I was trying to do is this:

do if binaryscenerioID="1".
recode Isrscenerios (5=1) (4=2) (3=3) (2=4) (1=5) into Issagree.
end if.

When I tried to run this though, when SPSS got to the end if command it
put an EXTRA period at the end so that when the syntax displayed in the
output window it looked like this:

do if binaryscenerioID="1".
recode Isrscenerios (5=1) (4=2) (3=3) (2=4) (1=5) into Issagree.
end if. .

And then....everything got weird... SPSS gave me this error message:

"
 >Warning # 142.  Command name: end
 >LOOP has no effect on this command.

 >Error # 1.  Command name: end
 >The first word in the line is not recognized as an SPSS Statistics
command.
 >This command not executed.

 >Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."


And then EVERY command I put in, freqs, recodes, anything, all just gave
me this error message

">Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."

Of course I wasn't using loops. I tried to do another end if, or end
loop command but they all just gave me the same error:

">Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."

I reopened the dataset and everything was back to normal, and ran the
same syntax again,  and it did the same thing again. Finally, I tried
running "end if" WITHOUT a period, and sure enough, SPSS put one in on
it's own and stopped the loop. Then I tried closing the dataset and
opening it up again for a third time, but this time everything works
fine, and running the same exact syntax produces no errors.

  I can't duplicate this bug, so I'm not going to worry about it, but
has anyone else had this problem? I've had some weird experiences with
SPSS doing some really bizzare unstable things in the past (with version
15 mostly),. but I thought we were done with that.

-Graham

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[Maguin, Eugene]

I've seen that infamous _SLINE statement too--whatever it means. I do a
Clear Transformations comand when I get that. It seems like _Sline only
occurs when a do if structure is not closed with an end if statement or if a
loop structure is not closed with an end loop statement.

Gene Maguin

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
Langston, Eric
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 12:59 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: SPSS 17 instability/weirdness

Graham-

There have been some times where I've run code -- mostly with loops, do
repeats, or do ifs I think -- that SPSS has gotten "caught" in "_SLINE".
Like you said, "and then ... everything is weird".  I was never able to
get it to snap out of it or move past the error or save the file
correctly.  I just ended up restarting SPSS.

I *think* it has to do with SPSS not exiting out of its "looping" mode
correctly.  However, I too was never able to replicate the problem.  But
I remember it had typically been when I was writing experimental syntax
and doing things I probably shouldn't have been doing -- mixing various
loop structures and having an extra period or something.

I know this doesn't fix the problem.  But it's good to know that I
wasn't the only person that experienced the weirdness.

-Eric


-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Wright [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 10:33 AM
Subject: SPSS 17 instability/weirdness

I got some really strange behavior with SPSS 17 for windows XP trying to
run a simple do if command. All I was trying to do is this:

do if binaryscenerioID="1".
recode Isrscenerios (5=1) (4=2) (3=3) (2=4) (1=5) into Issagree.
end if.

When I tried to run this though, when SPSS got to the end if command it
put an EXTRA period at the end so that when the syntax displayed in the
output window it looked like this:

do if binaryscenerioID="1".
recode Isrscenerios (5=1) (4=2) (3=3) (2=4) (1=5) into Issagree.
end if. .

And then....everything got weird... SPSS gave me this error message:

"
 >Warning # 142.  Command name: end
 >LOOP has no effect on this command.

 >Error # 1.  Command name: end
 >The first word in the line is not recognized as an SPSS Statistics
command.
 >This command not executed.

 >Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."


And then EVERY command I put in, freqs, recodes, anything, all just gave
me this error message

">Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."

Of course I wasn't using loops. I tried to do another end if, or end
loop command but they all just gave me the same error:

">Warning # 142.  Command name: _SLINE
 >LOOP has no effect on this command."

I reopened the dataset and everything was back to normal, and ran the
same syntax again,  and it did the same thing again. Finally, I tried
running "end if" WITHOUT a period, and sure enough, SPSS put one in on
it's own and stopped the loop. Then I tried closing the dataset and
opening it up again for a third time, but this time everything works
fine, and running the same exact syntax produces no errors.

  I can't duplicate this bug, so I'm not going to worry about it, but
has anyone else had this problem? I've had some weird experiences with
SPSS doing some really bizzare unstable things in the past (with version
15 mostly),. but I thought we were done with that.

-Graham

=====================
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[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
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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=====================
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