Text import wizard
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Hi,
95% of the files that I open in SPSS (v15, soon to be v18) are tab delimited text files with variable names at the top of the file. To open, I use the text import wizard. I find it rather annoying that I have to consistently correct SPSS's defaults to match my own file. For example, I ALWAYS have to click to tell SPSS that variable labels are at the top, I typically have to remove the space, comma and/or semicolon delimiters and, if I didn't press "paste" to begin with, I need to tell SPSS to paste the syntax. My question is, is there a way to force SPSS to use certain default values (i.e. variable labels are at the top) so that I don't have to go through these extra clicks? Note that I can't use the "predefined format" since I work with many different datasets that often have new variables added, removed, or renamed. Thanks for any help! Patrick -- Patrick Kyba Senior Technical Analyst Advanis Unintended Recipient & Unauthorized Use of E-Mail: This message and attachments may contain confidential or privileged information that is intended only for the named recipient of this e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution is not permitted. If you have received this e-mail in error, deleting the e-mail and notifying the sender would be appreciated. Thank you. ===================== 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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Using a saved template does not prevent you from changing the variable details. It just preloads the text wizard with the saved values. Of course you also have the option of pasting and saving the syntax and editing that directly. HTH, Jon Peck SPSS, an IBM Company [hidden email] 312-651-3435
Hi, 95% of the files that I open in SPSS (v15, soon to be v18) are tab delimited text files with variable names at the top of the file. To open, I use the text import wizard. I find it rather annoying that I have to consistently correct SPSS's defaults to match my own file. For example, I ALWAYS have to click to tell SPSS that variable labels are at the top, I typically have to remove the space, comma and/or semicolon delimiters and, if I didn't press "paste" to begin with, I need to tell SPSS to paste the syntax. My question is, is there a way to force SPSS to use certain default values (i.e. variable labels are at the top) so that I don't have to go through these extra clicks? Note that I can't use the "predefined format" since I work with many different datasets that often have new variables added, removed, or renamed. Thanks for any help! Patrick -- Patrick Kyba Senior Technical Analyst Advanis Unintended Recipient & Unauthorized Use of E-Mail: This message and attachments may contain confidential or privileged information that is intended only for the named recipient of this e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution is not permitted. If you have received this e-mail in error, deleting the e-mail and notifying the sender would be appreciated. Thank you. ===================== 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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Thanks for the response Jon. But this doesn't quite solve my small
peeve. My peeve is when I have a brand new dataset that I've never used
before. I know that:
1. It will have labels as the top row. 2. It will be tab delimited and only tab delimited. 3. I will want to paste the syntax. Since I've never used this dataset before, I need to go through the text import wizard and click "labels on the top row", then unclick "space/comma/semicolon delimited", and then click "paste the syntax". I agree that I can update everything in the code next time - what I'm trying to prevent is having to do these unnecessary clicks. I realize that it only takes me about 3 seconds to go through the wizard, but I've opened enough datasets and clicked the same selections so many times now (as I know others have), I'm hoping that there is an easier way. Ideally, I would like to change a setting somewhere so that when I open a dataset, it has the settings that I typically use. For example, suppose I could make the change to always use the settings described above. In this case, should I open a comma delimited file, the wizard would not have the comma selection but rather the tab selection (since the tab selection is what I use 95% of the time). Any ideas? Patrick Jon K Peck wrote:
-- Patrick Kyba Senior Technical Analyst Advanis Unintended Recipient & Unauthorized Use of E-Mail: This message and attachments may contain confidential or privileged information that is intended only for the named recipient of this e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution is not permitted. If you have received this e-mail in error, deleting the e-mail and notifying the sender would be appreciated. Thank you. |
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If you save and then use the template, not the syntax, the wizard will be prepopulated with the saved settings so you don't need to change those settings each time. Jon Peck SPSS, an IBM Company [hidden email] 312-651-3435
Thanks for the response Jon. But this doesn't quite solve my small peeve. My peeve is when I have a brand new dataset that I've never used before. I know that: 1. It will have labels as the top row. 2. It will be tab delimited and only tab delimited. 3. I will want to paste the syntax. Since I've never used this dataset before, I need to go through the text import wizard and click "labels on the top row", then unclick "space/comma/semicolon delimited", and then click "paste the syntax". I agree that I can update everything in the code next time - what I'm trying to prevent is having to do these unnecessary clicks. I realize that it only takes me about 3 seconds to go through the wizard, but I've opened enough datasets and clicked the same selections so many times now (as I know others have), I'm hoping that there is an easier way. Ideally, I would like to change a setting somewhere so that when I open a dataset, it has the settings that I typically use. For example, suppose I could make the change to always use the settings described above. In this case, should I open a comma delimited file, the wizard would not have the comma selection but rather the tab selection (since the tab selection is what I use 95% of the time). Any ideas? Patrick Jon K Peck wrote: Using a saved template does not prevent you from changing the variable details. It just preloads the text wizard with the saved values. Of course you also have the option of pasting and saving the syntax and editing that directly. HTH, Jon Peck SPSS, an IBM Company peck@... 312-651-3435
Hi, 95% of the files that I open in SPSS (v15, soon to be v18) are tab delimited text files with variable names at the top of the file. To open, I use the text import wizard. I find it rather annoying that I have to consistently correct SPSS's defaults to match my own file. For example, I ALWAYS have to click to tell SPSS that variable labels are at the top, I typically have to remove the space, comma and/or semicolon delimiters and, if I didn't press "paste" to begin with, I need to tell SPSS to paste the syntax. My question is, is there a way to force SPSS to use certain default values (i.e. variable labels are at the top) so that I don't have to go through these extra clicks? Note that I can't use the "predefined format" since I work with many different datasets that often have new variables added, removed, or renamed. Thanks for any help! Patrick -- Patrick Kyba Senior Technical Analyst Advanis Unintended Recipient & Unauthorized Use of E-Mail: This message and attachments may contain confidential or privileged information that is intended only for the named recipient of this e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution is not permitted. If you have received this e-mail in error, deleting the e-mail and notifying the sender would be appreciated. Thank you. ===================== To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to LISTSERV@... (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 -- Patrick Kyba Senior Technical Analyst Advanis Unintended Recipient & Unauthorized Use of E-Mail: This message and attachments may contain confidential or privileged information that is intended only for the named recipient of this e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution is not permitted. If you have received this e-mail in error, deleting the e-mail and notifying the sender would be appreciated. Thank you. |
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