Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 10:57:01 -0500
Reply-To: "Peck, Jon" <peck@spss.com>
Sender: "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: "Peck, Jon" <peck@spss.com>
Subject: Re: request for PYTHON to stack (pool) variable views from
a list of files into a system files
In-Reply-To: A<4836E7C8.7030105@DrKendall.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Art,
Take a look at APPLY DICTIONARY. It allows you to copy a variable dictionary – selected properties or all – to a new data file. We enhanced this command a few releases back in part to make it easy to use a sav file as a template for a new file.
That does not deal with the looping part, but if you loop over a bunch of files and just keep using APPLY DICTIONARY to transfer the variable information to the same dataset, you are done.
Regards,
Jon
-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Art Kendall
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 9:51 AM
To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: [SPSSX-L] request for PYTHON to stack (pool) variable views from a list of files into a system files
Earlier I posted a similar request and received from users a macro/OMS
approach and an excel macro approach which I will try this weekend if
I cannot get a PYTHON approach.
However, I thought this would be a natural for PYTHON and might be
useful for many users, so I am making another request.
I realized that part of my problem might be that I asked for all of the
columns from the variable view and this might be problematic for missing
values and value labels.
Now I am making a simpler request asking only for a 4 column data file.
source_file position variable_name variable_label
and could get by with just 3 columns. and later use LAG to get the position.
source_file position variable_name variable_label
*One approach* would be to
by PYTHON
read a list of filenames from a file
open a target SPSS file
for each file
bring it into SPSS
put the needed variables from the variables view into the target
file
next file.
save the target file.
*Another approach *would be for to write syntax either directly or via
macro that
opens the target file
then for each file
bring the file in
then do some python magic to write the info to the target file
next file.
save the target file.
this is an idea of that approach. *Then the question is what to put into
the file* 'd:\project\python_stuff.abc'.
dataset declare target.
GET SAS DATA='D:\project\2004\Alabama.sas7bdat'.
dataset name source.
string source_file (a60).
compute source_file = 'D:\project\2004\Alabama.sas7bdat'.
insert 'd:\project\python_stuff.abc'.
dataset close source.
GET SAS DATA='D:\project\2204\Alaska.sas7bdat'.
dataset name source.
string source_file (a60).
compute source_file = 'D:\project\2004\Alaska.sas7bdat'.
insert 'd:\project\python_stuff.abc'.
dataset close source.
. . .
GET SAS DATA='D:\project\2004\West Virginia.sas7bdat'.
dataset name source.
string source_file (a60).
compute source_file = 'D:\project\2004\West Virginia.sas7bdat'.
insert 'd:\project\python_stuff.abc'.
dataset close source.
dataset activate target.
save outfile= 'd:\project\big dictionary.sav'.
- - - -
In the long run it would be handy if SPSS were enhanced so that in
variable view one could do <file> <save as> .
It would be even better if there were a syntax way to save the variable
view to a data file.
Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the UN's*/ Universal Declaration of
Human Rights/*
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