Date:         Wed, 10 Sep 2003 16:45:27 -0400
Reply-To:     Richard Ristow <wrristow@mindspring.com>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Richard Ristow <wrristow@mindspring.com>
Subject:      Re: Aggregate macro
Comments: cc: SPSS suggestion line <suggest@spss.com>
In-Reply-To:  <DAEJJEJKGDKPDEDHOIELMEOACAAA.rlevesque@videotron.ca>
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At 07:41 AM 9/9/2003 -0400, Raynald Levesque wrote:

>DEFINE !myvar() tpe1 tpe2 tpe3 tpe4 !ENDDEFINE.
>DEFINE !mybrk() INTRO !ENDDEFINE.
>
>AGGREGATE
>  /OUTFILE='c:\temp\aggr.sav'
>  /BREAK=!mybrk /
>  !myvar  = Mean(!myvar).
>
>The trick is that a macro call cannot be at the end of a line which is
>a continuation line.

Exactly. As near as I can tell, the effect is as if every macro emits a
new-line on completion. (Or is it subtler than that?)

And, as far as I know, though this has been true for years, it's
nowhere documented. (Or have I missed something?)

Does anyone know whether it's a bug or a 'feature'?

It would be wonderful if it were eliminated. Or, since there is
probably a good deal of code that relies on it, if there were an option
on the !DEFINE command to create macros that would NOT emit the extra
line-end, or whatever it is.

Sorry. This is well up on my list of petty SPSS peeves.