The optional argument a4 specifies the number of occurrences to replace. Sorting data spss tutorials libguides at kent state. We have the option for expanded labels for variables elsewhere in the variable view. This variable is a string variable of length 20 in spss, nominal type. You need to understand a little bit about them because affect how you work with the variable. You can, however, extract one or more characters a substring from them, glue them together concatenate and a couple of other functions. Spssx discussion groups error with independent ttest. This tutorial shows how to define variable properties in spss, especially custom.
How can i change a string variable into a numeric variable. Since the default variable type in spss is numeric, you need to define your string variable in advance. Thus, values snake and wild include trailing blanks for a total of six characters. In spss, how do i convert between numeric variables and. Variable names may be added or changed simply by typing them in.
How can i count how many cases are missing in a string. Spss string function converts numeric values to string values. Spss restricts categorical indicators to numeric or short string values only. In the next example, we show how to create a string variable in an existing data set. My factor variable is not available for use in the spss oneway anova dialog box. Hi, i am using the syntax flag cases where a given string variable contains a given word downloaded from raynalds spss tools. One way is to use the number function with the compute command. So how do we know if a variable is string or numeric. After downloading my survey to spss, i noticed my values for yesno. Ascertaining spss variable formats spss differentiates write and print formats. The spss statistics file format is a proprietary binary format, developed and maintained as the native format for the spss statistical software application. Sorting data allows us to reorganize the data in ascending or descending order with respect to a specific variable. Patients name new name annis, david dav armour, stephen ste jacko, rick ric a posted by ray to spssxl list on 20020124. In spss, to convert a numeric variable to a string variable, use the string function.
Add variables together in spss using the compute procedure using manual add procedure duration. Recoding multiple string variables in spss automatic recoding. V1,f2 string variable range 0120 v2,f4 string variable range. Change a string variable to a numeric variable duration. At the moment i am asking spss to show me the tables using the summarize command.
However, just to make things confusing, spss allows you to select among several different standard formats for displaying numeric data e. Look at each variable in turn from the test database and see what happens when it is read into r. I am testing spss 16, does anyone know how to change the length of a string with syntax. In code page mode, if strexpr is a string variable, use rtrim if you only want the actual string value without the rightpadding to. A short string is of length string length gender in this case is larger than 8. Ibm spss statistics 22 command syntax reference university of. Therefore, concatenating 3 strings with length 20 results in a string with length 60. If you understand spss variable formats and types, it will help you in getting things done accurately and quickly. For example, you will see both numeric and string variables in the list of variables from which to choose. You can analyze repeated measures data using various approaches, such as repeated measures anovaglm the multilevel model or the linear mixed model. These include the means procedure analyzecompare meansmeans, which has limited. Variable formats in spss syntax the analysis factor. For new value, if the output is a string variable as it is here, check, output variables are strings, and enter the new value to match the old range low.
This value can be one or more blanks, or a numeric code such as 9999. If blanks are not specified, the values are rightpadded. For the high range, the parameters are listed in the window above. Why cant i see my variables in some of the spss dialog boxes. A lessthan sign left angle bracket indicates that the variable is. Copyingrecoding string variables into new variable. The basic variable types are either numeric or string. Input strings shorter than the specified width are rightpadded with blanks. I would like to recode an old variable numeric into a new variable string that is.
I would like to be able to print out the responses in a string variable. Because the variable score is a string variable, we cannot calculate a mean, etc. The syntax we use can be copypasted or downloaded here. Each of these approaches requires a different way of setting up the data in spss. Q i have data file with a string variable containing patients first and last name. Like so, working with string variables in spss is super easy. In the last example, we will show how to removed unwanted characters from a string variable. This is because spss automatically right pads string values with spaces to match the length of the string variable.
Repeat this process for all the existing values of your input variable. Some procedures in spss require that your data be sorted in a certain. How do i keep the first 3 letters of the last name only in a new variable. Arguments a1, a2, and a3 must resolve to string values literal strings enclosed in quotes or string variables, and the optional argument a4 must resolve to a nonnegative integer. Returns a string that is the concatenation of all its arguments, which must evaluate to strings. Remember that in a string variable, a missing value is a null, or empty, string. To make the presentation easier to understand all string variables below start with the letter s and numerical variables with n.
To do this, you need to create a new variable using the compute command. Flag cases where a given string variable contains a given word. Recoding string variables automatic recode spss tutorials. In this example the string length of gender is larger than 8. How to recode string variables in spss quick spss tutorial. Spss, which originally stood for statistical package for the social sciences, is a. In the example above, a8 indicates a string variable eight. There are at least two ways to create a string variable in spss. If the target variable is shorter, the result is righttrimmed. It is important to note that there are no system missing values for either short nor long string variables. Spssx discussion syntax for do if var contains string x. Frequently if i am parsing a field or matching string records such as names or addresses i dont want extra ascii characters besides names andor numbers in the field. Syntax for do if var contains string x ive searched high and low and read all of the syntax reference documents with no success, i know you can.
Each row of the dataset should represent a unique subject or experimental unit. If youd like to download the sample dataset to work through the. The independent variable should be categorical nominal or ordinal and include at least two groups, and the dependent variable should be continuous i. You could do that, but if all of your missing variable strings are coded as 66, i would just make a new set of variables, recode the 66 to a blank string, and then concatenate the variables all. This allows you to specify how you would like missing values in a string variable to b handled when autorecoded. Community website and available from the download extension bundles dialog, which is.
Could someone suggest spss syntax that would 1 find all date variables and then 2 convert them into strings, e. We encourage you to follow along with this tutorial by downloading and opening. If the into keyword is present followed by a list of target variables the result is stored into the target variables list one or more variables, otherwise the variables are changed in place. This edition applies to version 22, release 0, modification 0 of ibm spss. Ibm spss software is designed for the enterprise, meaning that you know the software that your team uses is tested, validated and compatible with the full stack of enterprise products and processes. In the last example, we will show how to removed unwanted characters from a. The string returned by a string expression does not have to be the same width as the target variable. For more information about concatenating data files, see the add files command in the spss syntax reference guide.
This is just intended to be a quick tip on cleaning up string fields in spss. According to spss, one can do that with syntax new features thanks in advance. You can only define missing values for string variables whose length is eight or less what spss calls short string variables. Recoding variables in spss menus and syntax the analysis factor. An icon with the letter a indicates that the variable is a string alphanumeric variable, which may contain both letters and numbers. In our first example, we show how to input string variables into a new data set. How to use spss are you ready to learn how to use spss for your introductory statistics class.
In my spssdataset i have a stringvariable questiona containing the answer to a certain question. Spss string variables quick introduction spss tutorials. Spss has many specific string functions not all of them appear below in the short examples. You cant use numeric functions such as addition or subtraction on string variables. However, instead of just one answer, it is possible to check more than one answer. It has 3,500 variables with short names a1, a2 etc but long labels for each variable in spss. Spss software enables you to take the actions that deliver the best outcome for your business. There are several ways that you can change a string variable into a numeric variable.
Dear all, i have a spss file with 5 string variables. In most cases, you will want to change the string variable to be numeric, as shown below. Spss syntax to convert all date variables into strings. This will get you started, but you can get all the specifics in the formats section of the command syntax reference, which is included in the spss help. Understanding spss variable types and formats allows you to get things done faster and. For converting metric string variables holding just numbers into numeric variables, see spss convert string to numeric variable. So in the example below i have a data frame called rvm which was created by read. This is the first in a series of eight videos that will introduce. Defining variables spss tutorials libguides at kent state. Instructions to spss just a text file gui is creating and runing syntax. In spss versions 24 and higher, tiny icons in front of variable names tell us the variable type, format and even measurement level.
The groups subcommand specifies an unknown variable or a. Default information in spss data editor window variable view tab. String variables compute command ibm knowledge center. There are no other variable types in spss than string and numeric. Learn the format and type of spss variables and get in control of your data. This variable is numeric in spss, scale type, of length 6 with no decimals. String manipulation functions 7 7 direct assignment of macro variables 7 7.
Type the first value of your input variable into the old value value text box, and the value you want to replace it with into the new value value text box. On independent samples ttest it is allowed to use short strings as grouping variable. How do i create and modify string character variables. Numeric variable numvar3 will have 6 digits total, with one after the decimal. My factor variable is not available for use in the spss. The format family is indicated by one or more letters. A brief but descriptive definition or display name for the variable. In spss, recoding categorical string variables to numeric codes and. Next, we will use the concat function short for concatenate to combine the first and last name into a.