Trying to Take Variable Names From SPSS Data File and Automatically Making Them Names Fed Into a Macro

[Zachary Feinstein]

Is there a way to program SPSS to take all of the variable names from a given data file (.sav) and automatically populate a syntax file with those names?  They would need to be fed in as variables into a macro.

 

Also, to just try and make it a little more difficult, can this be done in V12?

 

Thank you.

 

Zachary

[Marta Garcia-Granero]

Zachary Feinstein wrote:
> Is there a way to program SPSS to take all of the variable names from
> a given data file (.sav) and automatically populate a syntax file with
> those names?  They would need to be fed in as variables into a macro.
>
> Also, to just try and make it a little more difficult, can this be
> done in V12?
>
>
Hi Zachary:

Can you be a bit more specific? In order to help you, I need a more
information.Using SPSS 12 will be indeed a handicap, because any
solution involving multiple datasets (nor Python) will be not possible.

A) First idea: have you tried the keyword ALL?

FREQ VAR=ALL.

Will give you frequency tables for every variable in the dataset.

B) You can use the keyword TO to indicate a list of variables like this:
Firstvar TO LastVar.

FREQ VAR=Firstvar TO LastVar.

Will give you frequency tables for every variable from FirstVar to LastVar.

C) In case your macro needs a full list to process, like in, for
example," !DO !I !IN (!list) ", here's another solution:

1) Save your original data
2) FLIP the entire dataset
3) Get rid of all variables in the transposed dataset, with the
exception of CASE_LBL, the one that keeps the names of all the variables.
4) Write to disk a syntax file (using WRITE) with the commands. See this
example (written without testing, might need some debugging):

DO IF $CASENUM EQ 1.
- WRITE OUTFILE 'C:\temp\MacroCall.sps'  /'MYMACRO list='.
END IF.
WRITE OUTFILE 'C:\temp\MacroCall.sps'/' ' CASE_LBL.
CACHE.
EXE.

5) Get the original dataset
6) run the syntax file using INCLUDE 'C:\temp\MacroCall.sps'

I'll be able to provide better help if you explain what you want to
achieve in more detail.

HTH,
Marta GG

--
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http://gjyp.nl/marta/

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[Wilhelm Landerholm | STATB]

Hi Zachary,

Copy this script into a new script (File-New-Script) and press Ctrl+F5.

Sub Main
    Dim DataDoc As ISpssDataDoc
    Dim SyntDoc As ISpssSyntaxDoc
    Dim objSPSSInfo As ISpssInfo,ValueLabels()
    Dim i, NumVars As Long
    Dim ss As String
    Set objSPSSInfo = objSpssApp.SpssInfo
    Set DataDoc = objSpssApp.Documents.GetDataDoc(0)

    NumVars=objSPSSInfo.NumVariables-1
    ss = ""

    For i=0 To NumVars
          ss = ss & objSPSSInfo.VariableAt(i)  &  vbTab &  objSPSSInfo.VariableLabelAt(i) & vbCrLf
    Next i


    Set SyntDoc = objSpssApp.NewSyntaxDoc
    SyntDoc.Visible = True

    SyntDoc.Text = ss

End Sub

If you don't want to inlude Variable Labels change thi line:
          ss = ss & objSPSSInfo.VariableAt(i)  &  vbTab &  objSPSSInfo.VariableLabelAt(i) & vbCrLf

to
          ss = ss & objSPSSInfo.VariableAt(i)  & vbCrLf

Hope this solves your problem. 

All the best \WL

2009/8/27 Zachary Feinstein <[hidden email]>

Is there a way to program SPSS to take all of the variable names from a given data file (.sav) and automatically populate a syntax file with those names?  They would need to be fed in as variables into a macro.

 

Also, to just try and make it a little more difficult, can this be done in V12?

 

Thank you.

 

Zachary

--
Wilhelm Landerholm

Queue/STATB
BOX 92
162 12 Vallingby
Sweden

[phone]
http://www.qsweden.com
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