Date:         Mon, 17 Nov 2003 10:07:12 -0500
Reply-To:     Mark Casazza <mark.casazza@domino1.cuny.edu>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Mark Casazza <mark.casazza@domino1.cuny.edu>
Subject:      Re: removing " character from string variable
Comments: To: Paul Mcgeoghan <Mcgeoghan@Cardiff.ac.uk>
In-Reply-To:  <sfb8e099.086@MAINCF1P.cf.ac.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi Paul,

Here is a variation on some "find/replace" syntax that does what you
want.

--
DATA LIST fixed/v1 1-5(a).
BEGIN DATA.
"ABC"
"A"
"B"
END DATA.
LIST.

DO IF (INDEX(v1,'"')>0).
. LOOP.
.   COMPUTE v1 = CONCAT(SUBSTR(v1,1,INDEX(v1,'"')-1),"",
                        SUBSTR(v1,INDEX(v1,'"')+1,
                        LENGTH(v1)-INDEX(v1,'"'))).
. END LOOP IF (INDEX(v1,'"')=0).
END IF.
EXE.
LIST.
--

Mark Casazza
Director of Academic Information
The City University of New York
555 West 57th St. Suite 1240
New York, NY 10019

phone: 212.541.0396
fax:   212.541.0372
mark.casazza@mail.cuny.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of
Paul Mcgeoghan
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 9:52 AM
To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: removing " character from string variable


Hi,

If I have data which starts and ends with ", how I can remove "?

"ABC"
"A"
"B"

I have tried the following which removes the " from the left as does
LTRIM.

COMPUTE COMPANY = SUBSTR(company,2,LEN(RTRIM(company))-1) .
EXECUTE .

I can't seem to remove it from the right though.
Thanks,
Paul


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