Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:47:46 +0200
Reply-To: lucameyer@tiscali.it
Sender: "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: Luca Meyer <lucameyer@tiscali.it>
Organization: Luca Meyer
Subject: R: [SPSSX-L] R: Data Values Vs. Data Labels
In-Reply-To: <5CFEFDB5226CB54CBB4328B9563A12EE02E1C8E8@hqemail2.spss.com>
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Apologises Jon,
What I actually meant was 255 chars for variable labels and not value
labels, I had misread the topic...Are the 255 chars for variable labels
confirmed? I sometimes have questionnaire wording I need to carry over in
the report that is longer than 255 characters....
Luca
> -----Messaggio originale-----
> Da: Peck, Jon [mailto:peck@spss.com]
> Inviato: marted́ 18 ottobre 2005 14.52
> A: lucameyer@tiscali.it; SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Oggetto: RE: [SPSSX-L] R: Data Values Vs. Data Labels
>
>
> Value labels in SPSS 14 can be 120 bytes long (equivalent to
> 120 characters in western scripts). In prior versions, the
> limit is 60 bytes.
>
> Even 120 bytes is pretty unwieldy for display purposes,
> though. As an alternative, you can use the new variable
> attributes to associate arbitrarily long strings with
> variables or data files. The new commands VARIABLE ATTRIBUTE
> and DATAFILE ATTRIBUTE support these assignments, which are
> saved with the data.
>
> The values of these attributes are displayed via DISPLAY
> DICTIONARY, and they can be accessed programmatically with
> the new BEGIN PROGRAM capability.
>
> At the SPSS Directions conference in November
> (http://www.spss.com/spssdirections), I will show a use of
> these to record the formula for a variable and to recalculate
> it programmatically to update the values for new data. The
> module for this can also be downloaded from the new SPSS Code
> Center http://forums.spss.com/code_center/
>
> It requires the programmability support to be installed and,
> of course, SPSS 14.
>
> Regards,
> Jon Peck
> SPSS, Inc.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]
> On Behalf Of Luca Meyer
> Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 2:36 AM
> To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: [SPSSX-L] R: Data Values Vs. Data Labels
>
> In SPSS 14 is the label lenght always limited to 255 chars?
> Or can be somehow set to longer values?
>
> Thanks,
> Luca
>
> Mr. Luca MEYER
> Survey research, data analysis & more: http://www.lucameyer.com/
> Tel: +390122854456 - Fax: +390122854837 - Mobile: + 393394950021
>
> "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." -
> Mother Teresa - www.thehungersite.com
>
> > -----Messaggio originale-----
> > Da: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]
> Per conto di
> > Richard Ristow
> > Inviato: sabato 15 ottobre 2005 8.31
> > A: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Oggetto: Re: Data Values Vs. Data Labels
> >
> >
> > At 11:50 AM 10/13/2005, Peck, Jon wrote:
> >
> > >SPSS 14 to the rescue. It contains a new transformation function
> > >Valuelabel(x) that returns the label for the current value of the
> > >variable x.
> >
> > Yay! Hurray! Blessings! Wow! THANK YOU!
> >
> >
> > >So you can easily create a new string variable containing
> > the labels.
> > >For example, string xlabel(a120).
> > >compute xlabel = valuelabel(x).
> > >
> > >The function returns an empty string if the value has no
> > label, so if
> > >there are unlabeled values, something like this would work: string
> > >xlabel(a120). compute xlabel = valuelabel(x). IF xlabel =
> '' xlabel =
> > >string(x, F8.2).
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >Jon Peck
> > >SPSS, Inc.
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]
> > On Behalf
> > >Of Richard Ristow
> > >Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 2:51 AM
> > >To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > >Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Data Values Vs. Data Labels
> > >
> > >At 12:51 AM 10/13/2005, Bob Ingleby wrote:
> > >
> > > >I have many large data files in SPSS *.sav files that I
> > want to make
> > > >available to MS Excel. I've noted in SPSS's 'Save Data As'
> > > >functionality the ability to save the data as an Excel
> spreadsheet
> > > and
> > > >a checkbox to choose to save value 'labels' instead of
> data values.
> > > >
> > > >Given that the *.sav file contains the 'lookup' for data
> > values and
> > > >the respective labels, it would seem logical that there is
> > a way to
> > > >replace the data values with the data labels, but I haven't been
> > > able
> > > >to find it. Does it exist and if so, what is it?
> > >
> > >I'm afraid that logic didn't win this one. I've griped,
> > myself, because
> > >there are other, even simpler, cases where you'd want to
> > display value
> > >labels rather than just the values: for example, LIST output.
> > >
> > >A helpful step would be a format that would display a value as its
> > >associated label. Use that format with the STRING function,
> > and you're
> > >pretty well there. What can I say? SPSS, Inc., didn't
> think it was a
> > >good idea.
> > >
> > > >The only method that I have to work around this problem is
> > to write
> > > >long, repetitive syntax to overwrite the data values with their
> > > >respective data labels. This works but is a maintenance
> nightmare.
> > > I'm
> > > >looking for ways around this problem.
> > >
> > >Here are two, both with drawbacks:
> > >A. if you have the VALUE LABELS statement, not just the .SAV
> > file, it's
> > >pretty easy to edit it into a RECODE statement that will write the
> > >associated labels to a new variable. B. If you have SPSS 14, it
> > >sounds like there is much better access to the data
> dictionary. You
> > >could probably generate the above RECODE statements automatically.
> > >
> > >Wish I could give you better. It would make sense...
> > >
> > >-Good luck,
> > > Richard Ristow
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >If I had the technical specification of an SPSS *.sav
> file I could
> > > >probably write a utility to parse the file and carry out the
> > > >conversion. Does anyone have the technical specification
> > for the SPSS
> > > >*.sav
> > > file.
> > > >
> > > >Any suggestions would be appreciated.
> > > >
> > > >Thanks in advance,
> > > >
> > > >Bob.
> >
>
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