Re: PSPP: WRITE/PRINT

[Ben Pfaff]

"address@hidden" <address@hidden>
writes:

> What is the difference between PRINT and WRITE.  The User Guide is not much
> help, with regard to either, unless you understand technospeak.  References
> to transformations and procedures do not mean thing to me.  

Well, here's what the manual says about the difference:

    PRINT and WRITE differ in only a few ways:

       * WRITE uses write formats by default, whereas PRINT uses print
         formats.

       * PRINT inserts a space between variables unless a format is
         explicitly specified, but WRITE never inserts space between
         variables in output.

       * PRINT inserts a space at the beginning of each line that it writes
         to an output file (and PRINT EJECT inserts `1' at the beginning of
         each line that should begin a new page), but WRITE does not.

       * PRINT outputs the system-missing value according to its specified
         output format, whereas WRITE outputs the system-missing value as a
         field filled with spaces.  Binary formats are an exception.

I don't see anything about transformations and procedures.

Maybe you should explain what parts of the above are difficult to
understand?  I do my best to word the manual clearly, but it is
always hard to guess what other people will find hard to
understand.

> More to the point, how are both used?  

Usually PRINT is appropriate.  WRITE is more specialized.

> I am trying to create a frequency distribution in order to
> carry the results through to some charting software, where I
> have control over the presentation of the output.  If I use the
> following (taken from SPSS/PC+ by John Hedderson), for example:

There are some differences between SPSS and SPSS/PC+.  PSPP's
language is like the SPSS language, not the SPSS/PC+ language.
Not all syntax in SPSS/PC+ will work under SPSS.

> LIST.
> FREQUENCIES EDUC HAPPY.
> PRINT                      (I copied this
>     OUTFILE = 'testfile'   bit from various  
>     TABLE                  websites.) 
>     /EDUC SEX HAPPY.

This will print out the EDUC, SEX, and HAPPY variables.  It won't
print out the frequency table.  PRINT cannot print out the
frequency table.

> The output file 'pspp.list' is fine on the screen in PSPP but is barely
> usable in a text editor, because it contains repeated letters and control
> characters.  What is the solution, please?

You should be able to disable boldface output in the listing file
by editing your output configuration file.  Change the line that
contains this:
        list-ascii:ascii:listing:length=66 width=79 
output-file=${list-output-file}
to instead say:
        list-ascii:ascii:listing:length=66 width=79 
output-file=${list-output-file} emphasis=none
-- 
Ben Pfaff 
http://benpfaff.org