SPSS Statistics

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

Thanks. Was that you who left that comment on Reddit? I tried what that user recommended but it did not solve the problem, so the search is still on for a resolution. (That said, I was grateful to learn I should install the fixpack and that the value labels feature can cause issues.)

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

Thanks. Was that you who left that comment on Reddit? I tried what that user recommended but it did not solve the problem, so the search is still on for a resolution. (That said, I was grateful to learn I should install the fixpack and that the value labels feature can cause issues.)

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

Hi Stephanie,

I am unable to reproduce the behavior you describe on MacOS. When I place focus onto a cell in the Data Editor and begin typing a new value, I am automatically switched into 'edit mode' on that cell, the first character that I type is put into that editing cell, there is no selection on that first character, and the insertion caret is placed after the first character so that the second one typed follows the first.

Some questions to help clarify:
1. Have you installed the 29.0.1 version update?
2. When you see this problem, are you entering text into a new and empty column, or into an existing column?
3. If into an existing column, are you typing into a new and empty cell, or overwriting the contents of an existing cell that already contains a data value?

Best regards,

Thanks. Was that you who left that comment on Reddit? I tried what that user recommended but it did not solve the problem, so the search is still on for a resolution. (That said, I was grateful to learn I should install the fixpack and that the value labels feature can cause issues.)

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

Thank you for your help! I've attached a short video of the behavior. 

1 - I have installed the 29.0.1 update.
2 - It happens in both new and existing columns.
3 - It happens both when I type into an empty cell and when I overwrite the existing contents of a cell.

It's such a weird problem. I thought I was the only person experiencing it until I found this post on Reddit. This person says it seems to have spontaneously resolved itself and they're not sure how, possibly due to an update (which did not work for me):

https://www.reddit.com/r/spss/comments/11oh35h/first_letter_disappears/

Original Message:
Sent: Thu May 25, 2023 12:29 PM
From: Curtis Browning
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Hi Stephanie,

I am unable to reproduce the behavior you describe on MacOS. When I place focus onto a cell in the Data Editor and begin typing a new value, I am automatically switched into 'edit mode' on that cell, the first character that I type is put into that editing cell, there is no selection on that first character, and the insertion caret is placed after the first character so that the second one typed follows the first.

Some questions to help clarify:
1. Have you installed the 29.0.1 version update?
2. When you see this problem, are you entering text into a new and empty column, or into an existing column?
3. If into an existing column, are you typing into a new and empty cell, or overwriting the contents of an existing cell that already contains a data value?

Best regards,

------------------------------
Curtis Browning
SPSS Statistics Architect

Original Message:
Sent: Wed May 24, 2023 08:18 PM
From: Stephanie S
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Thanks. Was that you who left that comment on Reddit? I tried what that user recommended but it did not solve the problem, so the search is still on for a resolution. (That said, I was grateful to learn I should install the fixpack and that the value labels feature can cause issues.)

------------------------------
Stephanie S

Original Message:
Sent: Wed May 24, 2023 07:09 PM
From: Jon Peck
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Original Message:
Sent: 5/24/2023 3:09:00 PM
From: Stephanie S
Subject: First Character Disappears?

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

------------------------------
Stephanie S
------------------------------

Thank you @Stephanie S. I am now able to reproduce the problem and a defect has been filed for this.

Turns out the Reddit user was on the right track about Value Labels. I am only able to reproduce this issue when both of the following conditions are true:

1. The user has the Value Labels feature in the Data Editor turned on. This is when value labels are shown in cells instead of the actual data values.
2. The variable being modified has at least one value label defined. 

I also see intermittant problems with this:
The value being entered does NOT correspond with any defined values used as value labels for that variable. For example if you have VLs defined for values 1, 2, and 3, then entering a 1, 2, or 3 as the first character will NOT cause the problem to occur. If one enters a 4 first, OTOH, the problem occurs.

Do you see the same thing? IOW if you have Value Labels turned on, and type into a new and empty column or into an existing column that does not have any value labels defined, then the problem does not occur. If that is the case for you as well, then the work-around for this issue until it is fixed in a subsequent release is to turn off Value Label display while entering data directly into the Data Editor.

A quick look at the behavior tells me that when Value Labels are on and the current variable contains at least one value label, that the program attempts to locate that value label to display it instead of the value. When a corresponding value label cannot be found for the value, the value becomes selected, thereby leading to the problem. \

I'll make sure to brief the engineer who works on this so they clearly understand the problem, and hence the solution.

Thanks and best regards,

------------------------------
Curtis Browning
SPSS Statistics Architect

Original Message:
Sent: Thu May 25, 2023 03:56 PM
From: Stephanie S
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Thank you for your help! I've attached a short video of the behavior. 

1 - I have installed the 29.0.1 update.
2 - It happens in both new and existing columns.
3 - It happens both when I type into an empty cell and when I overwrite the existing contents of a cell.

It's such a weird problem. I thought I was the only person experiencing it until I found this post on Reddit. This person says it seems to have spontaneously resolved itself and they're not sure how, possibly due to an update (which did not work for me):

https://www.reddit.com/r/spss/comments/11oh35h/first_letter_disappears/

Original Message:
Sent: Thu May 25, 2023 12:29 PM
From: Curtis Browning
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Hi Stephanie,

I am unable to reproduce the behavior you describe on MacOS. When I place focus onto a cell in the Data Editor and begin typing a new value, I am automatically switched into 'edit mode' on that cell, the first character that I type is put into that editing cell, there is no selection on that first character, and the insertion caret is placed after the first character so that the second one typed follows the first.

Some questions to help clarify:
1. Have you installed the 29.0.1 version update?
2. When you see this problem, are you entering text into a new and empty column, or into an existing column?
3. If into an existing column, are you typing into a new and empty cell, or overwriting the contents of an existing cell that already contains a data value?

Best regards,

------------------------------
Curtis Browning
SPSS Statistics Architect

Original Message:
Sent: Wed May 24, 2023 08:18 PM
From: Stephanie S
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Thanks. Was that you who left that comment on Reddit? I tried what that user recommended but it did not solve the problem, so the search is still on for a resolution. (That said, I was grateful to learn I should install the fixpack and that the value labels feature can cause issues.)

------------------------------
Stephanie S

Original Message:
Sent: Wed May 24, 2023 07:09 PM
From: Jon Peck
Subject: First Character Disappears?

Original Message:
Sent: 5/24/2023 3:09:00 PM
From: Stephanie S
Subject: First Character Disappears?

I'm entering data directly into Data View and have run into an interesting problem. When I start typing a value into a field, I type the first character and then SPSS automatically highlights that first character, then replaces it with the second character I type. For example, if I want to type the number 12, I have to type 112 because SPSS overwrites the first character with the second. How can I resolve this? I'm on SPSS 29 on a Mac, and this is a brand-new install of SPSS. Thank you!

------------------------------
Stephanie S
------------------------------