Date:         Mon, 19 Aug 2002 13:21:08 -0500
Reply-To:     "Marks, Jim" <jim.marks@lodgenet.com>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Marks, Jim" <jim.marks@lodgenet.com>
Subject:      Re: merging / recoding string?
Content-Type: text/plain

Hi Sabina and List:

You can use CONCAT to merge two strings. Here is syntax that does the job:

** sample data.

DATA LIST FREE (",") /var001 (a20) var002 (a20).
BEGIN DATA
fname,,
,lname,
,,
jim,,
,marks,
END DATA.

** create new string variable.
STRING name (a20).

COMP name= CONCAT(rtrim(var001),RTRIM(var002)).
EXE.

HTH

Jim Marks
Market Analyst
LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation
605.988.1616

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-----Original Message-----
From: Sabina Schnelle [mailto:Sabina@work.asn.au]
Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 11:06 AM
To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: merging / recoding string?


Hello.

Is there a simple way to merge two variables into one if both their
format is string?

Only one of var001 or var002 has a value; at any case the other is empty
(i.e. string equivalent to SYSMIS); some cases are empty for both
variables.

Enclosed is the syntax that works for the analogue numeric problem:

RECODE
var001 (SYSMIS=96)  (99=99) (97=97) (0=0)  (1=1) (2=2) (3=3) (4=4) .
EXECUTE .

RECODE
var 002 (SYSMIS=96)  (99=99)  (97=97)   (0=0)  (1=1) (2=2) (3=3) (4=4) .
EXECUTE .

COMPUTE var1new = var001 + var002 - 96 .
EXECUTE .

Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Sabina