WWBasic + SPSS, script to rename value labels

Question

before I start I want to point out that I tagged this question as VBA because I can't actually make a new tag for Winwrap and I've been told that Winwrap is pretty much the same as VBA.

I'm working on SPSS V19.0 and I'm trying to make a code that will help me identify and assign value labels to all values that don't have a label in the specified variable (or all variables).
The pseudo code below is for the version where it's a single variable (perhaps inputted by a text box or maybe sent via a custom dialogue in the SPSS Stats program (call the .sbs file from the syntax giving it the variable name).

Here is the Pseudo Code:

Sub Main(variable As String)

On Error GoTo bye

'Variable Declaration:
Dim i As Integer, intCount As Integer
Dim strValName As String, strVar As String, strCom As String
Dim varLabels As Variant 'This should be an array of all the value labels in the selected record
Dim objSpssApp As 'No idea what to put here, but I want to select the spss main window.

'Original Idea was to use two loops
'The first loop would fill an array with the value lables and use the index as the value and 
'The second loop would check to see which values already had labels and then
'Would ask the user for a value label to apply to each value that didn't.
'loop 1
'For i = 0 To -1 
'current = GetObject(variable.valuelist(i)) 'would use this to get the value
'Set varLabels(i) = current
'Next

'Loop for each number in the Value list.
strValName = InputBox("Please specify the variable.")
'Loop for each number in the Value list.
 For i = 0 To varLabels-1
 If IsEmpty (varLabels(i)) Then
 'Find value and ask for the current value label
 strVar = InputBox("Please insert Label for value "; varLabels(i);" :","Insert Value Label")
 'Apply the response to the required number
 strCom = "ADD VALUE LABELS " & strVar & Chr$(39) & intCount & Chr$(39) & Chr$(39) & strValName & Chr$(39) &" ."
 'Then the piece of code to execute the Syntax
 objSpssApp.ExecuteCommands(strCom, False)

 End If
 'intCount = intCount + 1 'increase the count so that it shows the correct number
 'it's out of the loop so that even filled value labels are counted
 'Perhaps this method would be better?
 Next

Bye:
End Sub

This is in no way functioning code, it's just basically pseudo code for the process that I want to achieve I'm just looking for some help on it, if you could that would be magic.

Many thanks in advance
Mav

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 28 '12 at 09:54

Winwrap and VBA are almost identical with differences that you can find in this post: http://www.winwrap.com/web/basic/reference/?p=doc_tn0143_technote.htm I haven't used winwrap, but I'll try to answer with my knowledge from VBA.

Dim varLabels As Variant

You can make an array out of this by saying for example dim varLabels() as variant 'Dynamically declared array dim varLabels(10) as variant 'Statically declared array dim varLabels(1 to 10) as variant 'Array starting from 1 - which I mostly use dim varLabels(1 to 10, 1 to 3) 'Multidimensional array

Dim objSpssApp As ?

"In theory", you can leave this as a variant type or even do

Dim objSpssApp

Without further declaration, which is basically the same - and it will work because a variant can be anything and will not generate an error. It is good custom though to declare you objects according to an explicit datatype in because the variant type is expensive in terms of memory. You should actually find out about the objects class name, but I cannot give you this. I guess that you should do something like:

set objSpssApp = new <Spss Window> 
set objSpssApp = nothing 'In the end to release the object

Code:

'loop 1
For i = 0 To -1
current = GetObject(variable.valuelist(i)) 'would use this to get the value
Set varLabels(i) = current
Next

I don't exactly know why you want to count from 0 to -1 but perhaps it is irrelevant. To fill an array, you can just do: varLabels(i) = i The SET statement is used to set objects and you don't need to create an object to create an array. Also note that you did not declare half of the variables used here.

Code:

strVar = InputBox("Please insert Label for value "; varLabels(i);" :","Insert Value Label")

Note that the concatenation operator syntax is &. This appears to be the same in WinWrap: http://www.winwrap.com/web/basic/language/?p=doc_operators_oper.htm But you know this, since you use it in your code.

Code:

'intCount = intCount + 1 'increase the count so that it shows the correct number
'it's out of the loop so that even filled value labels are counted
'Perhaps this method would be better?

I'm not sure if I understand this question, but in theory all loops are valid in any situation, it depends on your preference. For ... Next, Do ... Loop, While ... Wend, in the end they all do basically the same thing. intCount = intCount + 1 seems valid when using it in a loop.

Using Next (for ... next)

When using a counter, always use Next iCounter because it increments the counter.

I hope this reply may be of some use to you!

oh and the For loop that is 0 to -1 I wanted to complete the loop until variable.valuelist had run it's course (for example if the first time I ran the script the variable had 12 values in it the loop would run 12 times and the second time I run it when the variable has 34 values the loop would run 34 times and so on). — Maverick Jones, Jun 28 '12 at 10:42
Oh yeah, and for Objects, you can use as Object instead of as Variant. My guess would be that you need to reference a library and then do something like SPSS.() => hereafter you may get a list of suggestions. But I cannot say this for sure. — html_programmer, Jun 28 '12 at 10:43
I've found an import that supposedly adds SPSS classes etc. but no classes are visible and the Imports keyword is not highlighted when the script is opened in SPSS. (whereas in Notepad++ it's highlighted) : Imports spss — Maverick Jones, Jun 28 '12 at 11:15
I'm not sure if I grasp anything you say but in Vba you cannot import other classes because inheritence is not supported. You ca — html_programmer, Jun 28 '12 at 11:40
N only reference a library and create instances of classes provided. — html_programmer, Jun 28 '12 at 11:41
Hehe, well I don't know. Have you considered using Spss with excel? I think they might be compatible. — html_programmer, Jun 28 '12 at 11:50
I think that this webpage may interest you: http://pages.infinit.net/rlevesqu/SampleScripts.htm — html_programmer, Jun 29 '12 at 08:15
I don't know what target value labels are, it has been 9 years since the last time I worked with SPSS. — html_programmer, Jun 29 '12 at 08:16

WWBasic + SPSS, script to rename value labels

1 Answers1