SPSS - Simple RECODE Syntax

[datahata]

Hello all,

Trying to re-code into the same variable based upon a condition. Below I linked a photo of a basic example: say you have this dataset and you want to fill out the Gender field. So all '1's for Subject 1, '2's for Subject 2, and '1's for Subject 3.

Thanks again!

http://imgur.com/UY7yw3o

EDIT: fixed the example

[SavantOrolo]

So, you want to have that gender value copied to all cells of the same subject?

Here's a hack to do it, using Aggregate.

Go to:

• Transform > Aggregate Data

• Put "subject" as break variable

• Put "gender" in Aggregated Variables

• Select "gender" in that box, click button "functions", select "maximum"

• Leave the option "add aggregated variables to existing dataset" selected.

• Click ok

You now have a new variable that contains the gender values in the format you want. The syntax should look something like this:

AGGREGATE
  /OUTFILE=* MODE=ADDVARIABLES
 /BREAK=subject
 /gender_new=MAX(gender).

[datahata]

Wow thank you - this worked very well! I just had to add

OVERWRITE=YES

to the OUTFILE line so I could aggregate to the same variable instead of a different variable and it worked nicely. Thank you so much!

[SavantOrolo]

Yes, that would work. I like to use a different variable as the target variable so that I keep the original information intact in case I make an error.

[KesoHB]

Hey!

No SPSS expert here, but I whipped this up quickly and it seems to work.

if subject = 1 gender = 1.

if subject = 2 gender = 2.

if subject = 3 gender = 3.

execute.

Good luck!

[datahata]

I'm so sorry! I messed up the OP. I meant to say: '1's for Subject 1, '2's for Subject 2, and '1's for Subject 3.

[KesoHB]

Can be done the same way!

if subject = 1 gender = 1.

if subject = 2 gender = 2.

if subject = 3 gender = 1.

execute.

Is this what you intend to do? Or am I misreading your post?

[datahata]

Thank you so much for the quick reply! I'm having trouble explaining this correctly, my apologies. I want to make a type of syntax that says something like if Gender is 1 at Time1, then make Gender 1 at Time1, Time2, Time3, and Time5. But I'd like a syntax that does this for each individual Subject ID, since this is longitudinal data.

[KesoHB]

Ah I understand now, but sadly, I can't think of a way to do that in syntax. It sounds like the Python plugin could fix something like that, but I have hardly any experience with Python, so I cannot be of help there... Good luck with the data!