Date:         Wed, 23 Jun 1999 15:11:30 +0200
Reply-To:     "m.feldkircher@ogilvyone.de" <m.feldkircher@ogilvyone.de>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Martin Feldkircher <m.feldkircher@OGILVYONE.DE>
Organization: OgilvyOne
Subject:      AW: Selecting first 2 digits from a string variable
Comments: cc: "jcreech@VCSC.STATE.VA.US" <jcreech@VCSC.STATE.VA.US>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von:  James C. Creech [SMTP:jcreech@VCSC.STATE.VA.US]
> Gesendet am:  Mittwoch, 23. Juni 1999 01:13
> An:   SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Betreff:      Re: Selecting first 2 digits from a string variable
>
> string newvar (a2).
> compute newvar=oldvar.
> recode newvar (convert) into newvar2.
>
> The first two lines create a 2 byte varaiable and copies the
> first two bytes of the old variable.  The third line converts
> the new string variable into the desired numeric.
>

IMHO, an easier way is the following command.

compute newvar = NUMBER(SUBSTR(oldvar,1,2),F2.0).

mf