Surpise about what values can be used as missing values in a string variable.

[Art Kendall]

I have not often dealt with multiple missing values in string variables other than "blank" and " ".

I was surprised by the errors from the syntax below.
Unless I missed it when I did <help> perhaps the  <help> and error message should clarify that certain characters are not admissible in a string used to specify a missing value.
Of the 5 commands below only the 4th works.

new file.
data list list/kind (f1) Mystring (a25).
begin data
1 "abcde fghij klmno'
1  "what ever it might be"
1 "blank"
1 "some real text"
1 "blank"
2 "abcde fghij klmno'
2  "what ever it might be"
2  "blank"
2  "some real text"
2 "blank"
end data.
dataset name testmissing.
dataset activate testmissing.
do if kind eq 2.

compute mystring = "auto skip".
end if.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto.skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto_skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","AutoSkip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","AutoSkip","n/a").

[Rick Oliver-3]

The error message appears to have changed to something that has nothing to do with the actual error. Missing values for string values cannot exceed 8 bytes, and that's the error message that used to be displayed.

Rick Oliver
Senior Information Developer
IBM Business Analytics (SPSS)
E-mail: [hidden email]



From:        Art Kendall <[hidden email]>
To:        [hidden email]
Date:        10/21/2014 11:41 AM
Subject:        Surpise about what values can be used as missing values in a string variable.
Sent by:        "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I have not often dealt with multiple missing values in string variables other
than "blank" and " ".

I was surprised by the errors from the syntax below.
Unless I missed it when I did <help> perhaps the  <help> and error message
should clarify that certain characters are not admissible in a string used
to specify a missing value.
Of the 5 commands below only the 4th works.

new file.
data list list/kind (f1) Mystring (a25).
begin data
1 "abcde fghij klmno'
1  "what ever it might be"
1 "blank"
1 "some real text"
1 "blank"
2 "abcde fghij klmno'
2  "what ever it might be"
2  "blank"
2  "some real text"
2 "blank"
end data.
dataset name testmissing.
dataset activate testmissing.
do if kind eq 2.

compute mystring = "auto skip".
end if.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto.skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto_skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","AutoSkip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","AutoSkip","n/a").






-----
Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants
--
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[Rick Oliver-3]

On further investigation, the unhelpful error message seems to occur only in a very specific set of circumstances: multiple missing values specified and one is both longer than 8 bytes and contains a space.

Rick Oliver
Senior Information Developer
IBM Business Analytics (SPSS)
E-mail: [hidden email]



From:        Rick Oliver/Chicago/IBM
To:        Art Kendall <[hidden email]>
Cc:        [hidden email]
Date:        10/21/2014 11:57 AM
Subject:        Re: Surpise about what values can be used as missing values in a string variable.

---

The error message appears to have changed to something that has nothing to do with the actual error. Missing values for string values cannot exceed 8 bytes, and that's the error message that used to be displayed.

Rick Oliver
Senior Information Developer
IBM Business Analytics (SPSS)
E-mail: [hidden email]




From:        Art Kendall <[hidden email]>
To:        [hidden email]
Date:        10/21/2014 11:41 AM
Subject:        Surpise about what values can be used as missing values in a string variable.
Sent by:        "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <[hidden email]>

---

I have not often dealt with multiple missing values in string variables other
than "blank" and " ".

I was surprised by the errors from the syntax below.
Unless I missed it when I did <help> perhaps the  <help> and error message
should clarify that certain characters are not admissible in a string used
to specify a missing value.
Of the 5 commands below only the 4th works.

new file.
data list list/kind (f1) Mystring (a25).
begin data
1 "abcde fghij klmno'
1  "what ever it might be"
1 "blank"
1 "some real text"
1 "blank"
2 "abcde fghij klmno'
2  "what ever it might be"
2  "blank"
2  "some real text"
2 "blank"
end data.
dataset name testmissing.
dataset activate testmissing.
do if kind eq 2.

compute mystring = "auto skip".
end if.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto.skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","auto_skip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","AutoSkip","").
*.
missing values mystring ("blank","AutoSkip","n/a").






-----
Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants
--
View this message in context: http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/Surpise-about-what-values-can-be-used-as-missing-values-in-a-string-variable-tp5727660.html
Sent from the SPSSX Discussion mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

=====================
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[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