Global Autorecode

 

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A nice problem: autorecode many string variables where the recode formula (eg a=1,b=2, etc) is the same for all variables even though none of the variables have all possible values.

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* GlobalAutorecode.sps *.

*(Q). I have data such as the following.

 * ID STR1 STR2 STR3 STR4 STRX
1 a b c d e
2 b d e
3 c c a c b
3 e c a
2 e b a
1 a b 

 * and would like to use all of these string variables to do one autorecode, 
let's say something like an autorecode overall. 
 * No variable has all strings, but all variables together have all strings which can appear. 
 * What I need is one dictionary for all of my variables. 
 * Do you know an easy way to do this? 
So that I get this result: 
ID STR1 STR2 STR3 STR4 STRX
1 1 2 3 4 5
2 2 4 5
3 3 3 1 3 2
3 5 3 1
2 5 2 1
1 1 2 
"a"=1, "b"=2, "c"=3, "d"=4, "e"=5


*(A) By Raymald Levesque 2002/07/16.

* Enter data example.
DATA LIST LIST /id (F1.0) str1 str2 str3 str4 str5 (5A1).
BEGIN DATA
1 a b c d e
2 b d e
3 c c a c b
4 e c a
5 e b a
6 a b 
END DATA.
LIST.


* Solution. First define macro then run it.
*////////////////.
DEFINE !apply (stem=!TOKENS(1) /nb=!TOKENS(1))
SAVE OUTFILE='c:\temp\original data.sav'.

STRING s(A1).
VECTOR s=!CONCAT(!stem,'1') TO !CONCAT(!stem,!nb).
LOOP cnt=1 TO !nb.
COMPUTE s=s(cnt).
XSAVE OUTFILE='c:\temp\data1.sav' /KEEP=id cnt s.
END LOOP.
EXECUTE.

GET FILE='c:\temp\data1.sav'.
SELECT IF RTRIM(s)<>"".
AUTORECODE s /INTO srec.
N OF CASES 1.
SAVE OUTFILE='c:\temp\label definitions.sav'.


GET FILE='c:\temp\data1.sav'.
SELECT IF RTRIM(s)<>"".
SORT CASES BY s.
AGGREGATE
  /OUTFILE=*
  /BREAK=s
  /id = N(id).
COMPUTE recnb=$CASENUM.
SAVE OUTFILE='c:\temp\data2.sav'.

GET FILE='c:\temp\data1.sav'.
SORT CASES BY s.
MATCH FILES FILE=*
	/TABLE='c:\temp\data2.sav'
	/BY=s.
SORT CASES BY id cnt.

VECTOR str(!nb F1).
COMPUTE str(cnt)=recnb.


AGGREGATE
  /OUTFILE=*
  /BREAK=id
  /!CONCAT(!stem,'1') TO !CONCAT(!stem,!nb) = 
	FIRST(!CONCAT(!stem,'1') TO !CONCAT(!stem,!nb)).


!DO !cnt=1 !TO !nb
RENAME VARIABLE (!CONCAT(!stem,!cnt)=srec).
APPLY DICTIONARY FROM='c:\temp\label definitions.sav'.
RENAME VARIABLE (srec=!CONCAT(!stem,!cnt)).
!DOEND
!ENDDEFINE.
*////////////////.

* Run macro.
SET MPRINT=yes.
!apply stem=str nb=5.
SET MPRINT=no.

P.S. Starting version SPSS 13.0 the similar result could be achieved through GROUP subcommand of AUTORECODE command. Way simpler! :-)

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AUTORECODE
  VARIABLES=str1 str2 str3 str4 str5  /INTO nstr1 nstr2 nstr3 nstr4 nstr5
  /GROUP
  /BLANK=MISSING
  /PRINT.
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