Date:         Wed, 9 Dec 2009 08:10:30 -0600
Reply-To:     Rick Oliver <oliverr@us.ibm.com>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Rick Oliver <oliverr@us.ibm.com>
Subject:      Re: Can I remove a macro within a session?
Comments: To: Bruce Weaver <bruce.weaver@hotmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <26710320.post@talk.nabble.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

You should be able to redefine a macro within a session without any
problems. As Bruce Weaver notes, a warning used to be issued, but that
didn't prevent the macro from changing.

data list free / var1 var2.
begin data
1 2
end data.
set mprint on.
define !mymacro() var1 !enddefine.
freq var=!mymacro.
define !mymacro() var2 !enddefine.
freq var=!mymacro.
set mprint off.



From:
Bruce Weaver <bruce.weaver@hotmail.com>
To:
SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date:
12/09/2009 07:50 AM
Subject:
Re: Can I remove a macro within a session?
Sent by:
"SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>



Ruben van den Berg wrote:
>
>
> Dear all,
>
> I'm writing a macro but it seems I can't use a name that has already
been
> defined as a macro; I get
>
> Error # 6802 in column 1024. Text: (End of Command)
> The DEFINE command must begin with the name of the macro being defined.
> Something other than a valid macro name was found.
> This command not executed.
>
>
> So each time I modify the macro, I append a suffix to it and add the
same
> suffix to the macro call but I find this somewhat inefficient. I'd
rather
> write something like
>
>
> delete !function.
>
> define ! function ()
>
> <blah blah>
>
> !enddefine.
>
> !function.
>
> Is there any command to 'UNdefine' a macro in SPSS so I can get rid of
the
> suffixes?
>
>
> TIA!
>

Hi Ruben.  This is odd.  I redefine macros all the time without altering
the
name.  E.g., I make a first draft of the macro, try it  out, and realize I
need to revise something, and so on.  My recollection is that in earlier
versions of SPSS, I would get a warning message if I defined a macro that
was using an already existing macro name, but it allowed me to proceed. At
some point (v15 maybe?) the warning message no longer appeared.  What
version are you running?



-----
--
Bruce Weaver
bweaver@lakeheadu.ca
http://sites.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/bweaver/
"When all else fails, RTFM."

NOTE:  My Hotmail account is not monitored regularly.
To send me an e-mail, please use the address shown above.
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