Date:         Mon, 19 Sep 2005 15:36:28 -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: set a given time to missing
Comments: To: Martin Sherman <MSherman@loyola.edu>
In-Reply-To:  <s32ebe8e.048@GWMAIL01.LOYOLA.EDU>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 01:34 PM 9/19/2005, Martin Sherman wrote:

>Dear list, I have a time variable HH:MM:SS that has a value of
>00:00:00 that I want to set to system missing.  I tried using the
>following but it doesn't work.
>
>If idnumber eq 90320279 @55ctime_ eq time.hms(.,.).

Two things:
. First, "@55ctime_ eq time.hms(.,.)" won't work for ANY variable under
ANY circumstances. "EQ" means "test for equality"; "=" means "assign
value." So, you'd need to use (I'm adding a pseudo-indent),
.  If idnumber eq 90320279 @55ctime_ = time.hms(.,.).
*  ..................................^..........
. Second, a time value is a numeric value, and can be made
system-missing in any of the usual ways. In your case, system variable
$SYSMIS would work:
.  If idnumber eq 90320279 @55ctime_ = $SYSMIS.
*  ..................................^.^^^^^^^

. Third of two things (OK, like the fourth book of the *Hitchiker's
Guide* trilogy), see today's posting 'Tracing data corrections, and
"data in code"', on managing such sets of corrections.