Re: pspp 0.04, users, datafile

[Ben Pfaff]

Jaap-Andre de Hoop <address@hidden> writes:

>>
>> > Road map on what functionality are we concentrating in the near future
>> > (system file that now is comparable with spss 6?, addition with
>> > variable width commando (spss10?))
>>
>>I'm not sure what you mean regarding system files.  As far as I
>>know, we're compatible with all SPSS system files, excluding SPSS
>>12 system files with long file names.  

(By this I of course meant "long variable names".)

>>I would like to add support for those, too.
>>
>>What do you mean by "addition with variable width commando"?
>
> It's is possible to read pspp systemfiles to all spss
> versions. However in newer versions of spss you can set the width of
> the cells in the data-editor (gui) by using the commando: variable
> witdh varname (n). That is very usefull for long characterdata. For
> instance if you define a variable with format varname (a255). Spss
> shows only this variable on the screen. By setting variable width you
> can limit the number of characters to display (in the data-editor (say
> excelscreen). 

I see.  This feature should be easy to support.

> Also in spss version 13 the limitations of variables and value
> labels has been extended (a lot), but I don't know what this
> means for the backward compatability (yet), spss has not been
> released in Holland yet. I think this last extension would be
> even more usefull. But is also more difficult to incorporate...

I do plan to support long variable names and value labels.  It
will take some work and some time, though.
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