Try SUMMARIZE instead, with /FORMAT=LIST to list all records or if you only want 10 records listed: /FORMAT=LIST LIMIT=10.

With summarize, you will see the value labels instead of the values, it also doesn't wrap as LIST does so is useful for more records.

With LIST you could try the subcommand /FORMAT=SINGLE to keep it to a single line, but onl variables that fit on 1 line will be displayed.

Melissa

-----Original Message----- From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of ViAnn Beadle Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 3:01 PM To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Re: [SPSSX-L] Why use LIST (was Syntax for Changing Level of Measurement)

I ask this because I never use LIST and see it referred to all the time on this list. The biggest problem I have with LIST is that it's only useful for about 9 or so variables at a time and if I see something that is clearly a typo, I find it much, much easier in the data editor data view and fix it there anyway.

It seems to me from the replies so far that there are three reasons for using LIST:

1. Dump dirty data to the output window to check for it. 2. Check transformation logic with a view of a small subset of variables from a wider file. 3. Provide a narrower view of wide data.

If the data validation option were free, I wonder how many would actually use it? It's a lot simpler to define rules via it, and find unusual cases. The rules are automatically saved so that you can run them against new or changed cases.

I'd suspect that people using a site license might already have access to it and not know about it. It has got to be easier and much less error prone that the manual method.

The data editor already provides panning and pinning for wide files, and variable sets to hide variables not in the set.

If it was much easier to reorder variables, or hide intervening variables would people use that? (To reorder variables, you can do it with one file matches, dragging and dropping the variable view, or define a custom attribute and sort on it in the variable view).

-----Original Message----- From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Gene Maguin Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 12:21 PM To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Re: Why use LIST (was Syntax for Changing Level of Measurement)

ViAnn,

I'm curious as to where this question comes from?

As for myself, I don't know of an alternative to list (excepting print, which is in some ways is more useful but also more work). For instance, yesterday I was working with somebody and we needed to find cases meeting a certain criterion, dig out the questionnaires and then edit the data file. Either we scramble through the data editor and write down the id numbers or we print them, along with the variables in question. Perhaps a custom report could be developed. But why? Admittedly I have used reports only a couple of times. It's nice but for listing cases. Why?

Gene Maguin

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