for each (root of variable) in SPSS

Question

I'm new in SPSS program but I've tried to search a solution to my problem. The idea is find a way to loop through some variable names (or I think so). I want to create the variables P216_XX, P217_XX, T211_XX and OCUPAC_XX, with other variables like some inputs (P216_13, P216_12, P216_11, P216_10, P217_13, P217_12, P217_11, P217_10, T211_13, T211_12, T211_11, T211_10, OCUPAC_13, OCUPAC_12, OCUPAC_11, OCUPAC_10 and IIIDDDEEE).

I'm following the next tedious instruction:

******TEDIOUS INSTRUCTION:

*****P216_XX.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=1)   P216_XX=P216_13.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=2)   P216_XX=P216_12.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=3)   P216_XX=P216_11.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=4)   P216_XX=P216_10.
EXECUTE.

*****P217_XX.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=1)   P217_XX=P217_13.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=2)   P217_XX=P217_12.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=3)   P217_XX=P217_11.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=4)   P217_XX=P217_10.
EXECUTE.

*****T211_XX.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=1)   T211_XX=T211_13.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=2)   T211_XX=T211_12.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=3)   T211_XX=T211_11.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=4)   T211_XX=T211_10.
EXECUTE.

*****OCUPAC_XX.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=1)   OCUPAC_XX=OCUPAC_13.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=2)   OCUPAC_XX=OCUPAC_12.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=3)   OCUPAC_XX=OCUPAC_11.
EXECUTE.
IF (IIIDDDEEE=4)   OCUPAC_XX=OCUPAC_10.
EXECUTE.

In stata, the form would reduce the previous syntax with something like that:

foreach x in  P216 P217 T211 OCUPAC {
replace `x'_XX=`x'_13 if IIIDDDEEE==1
replace `x'_XX=`x'_12 if IIIDDDEEE==2
replace `x'_XX=`x'_11 if IIIDDDEEE==3
replace `x'_XX=`x'_10 if IIIDDDEEE==4
}
*

In SPSS, I proved with vector, but SPSS don't accept me root in the vector, only variables. I don't know how to continue and I haven't found something similar yet

Is possible found a solution with native SPSS language? (I forgot to comment that in my work, the "administrator" doesn't allow us to install other programs like Python). What would be a possible solution?

By the way, you don't need all those "EXECUTES". They only add extra lines of code and slow down your work stream. — Jignesh Sutar

Jignesh Sutar Jignesh Sutar · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-07T14:43:29

There are a quite a lot of ways you can simplify this code, look up:

DEFINE/ENDDEFINE, SPSS's macro language.
DO IF
DO REPEAT

You need to be familiar with each and know what your end goal is to assess which option is best for you.

for each (root of variable) in SPSS

1 Answers