Ta,

Figured it out in the meantime along similar lines.

Yeah, I know, been studying stats too long, applying it my social life now :).

Paul

================== Paul McGeoghan, Application support specialist (Statistics and Databases), Information Services, Cardiff University. Tel. 02920 (875035).

>>> "R. Allan Reese" <R.A.Reese@gri.hull.ac.uk> 13/12/2002 11:14:11 >>> On Fri, 13 Dec 2002, Paul Mcgeoghan wrote: > I have data in a column read from a CSV file such as: > > (Pubs,Nightclubs,Taxis) > (Pubs,Taxis) > (Pubs,Nightclubs,Taxis) > (Taxis) > > for the first 10 observations. > > How can I separate this into 3 different variables such as Choice1, Choice2, > Choice3 or even better a variable Pubs, Nightclubs and Taxis which would be > Yes/No for each?

Read your data as one string variable, called, say nightout, then:

compute pubs=0. if (index(nightout,"Pubs") ne 0) pubs=1.

or, more concisely but less easy to read: compute pubs= index(nightout,Pubs) ne 0.

which returns true or false. For either, then value labels pubs 1 "Yes" 0 "No".

same for clubs and taxis. But do you *have* to analyse your social life in such detail?!

R. Allan Reese Email: r.a.reese@gri.hull.ac.uk Associate Manager GRI Direct voice: +44 1482 466845 Graduate School Voice messages: +44 1482 466844 Hull University, Hull HU6 7RX, UK. Fax: +44 1482 466436 ==================================================================== The management here were SO impressed with W Edward Deming's "Out of the crisis" that they are working flat out to create THE BEST crisis, so we can start implementing the 13 points.