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  • 1.  Should Statistics Continue Support for OLE Automation via WinWrap BASIC?

    Posted Tue September 23, 2025 09:53 AM

    Hello users of IBM SPSS Statistics! We have a question that I am posting here to request feedback from our customers. It involves continuing support for OLE Automation (Windows-only) via the WinWrap BASIC interpreter that ships with the Windows version of Statistics.

    Some Background:

    Statistics' original automation language was BASIC. We supported first SaxBASIC and then WinWrap BASIC on Windows-only for many years. But then we built a Mac version and support for BASIC took a backseat to first Python and then R. We still support (and pay for yearly) WinWrap BASIC to support OLE Automation, but we don't know how important it is to users anymore.

    The Question:

    Are you or other Statistics users still leveraging WinWrap BASIC to perform automation tasks in Statistics?  Your responses here will have a material affect on whether we continue to support or deprecate support for BASIC on Windows.

    Thank you,

    Curtis 



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    Curtis Browning
    SPSS Statistics Architect
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  • 2.  RE: Should Statistics Continue Support for OLE Automation via WinWrap BASIC?

    Posted Tue September 23, 2025 10:04 AM
    Winrap basic doesn't have any effect on the production facility does it? 



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Should Statistics Continue Support for OLE Automation via WinWrap BASIC?

    Posted Tue September 23, 2025 10:30 AM

    Hi @Art Jack, that is correct. The Production Facility runs without using BASIC, although one may be able to kick off existing Production Facility jobs via BASIC.

    Best,



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    Curtis Browning
    SPSS Statistics Architect
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Should Statistics Continue Support for OLE Automation via WinWrap BASIC?

    Posted Mon September 29, 2025 04:10 PM

    HI @Curtis Browning i don't currently use this for anything, i'm pretty confident nobody else does either within our dept. - art jack



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    Art Jack
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Should Statistics Continue Support for OLE Automation via WinWrap BASIC?

    Posted Tue September 23, 2025 10:39 AM
    The only thing I can think of where Basic can do something not otherwise possible is that you can use it to control Excel by loading an Excel library and using its methods from within SPSS.  This can be used after exporting things to Excel via OMS or a data export and then manipulating that spreadsheet.

    One could replace that using one of the Python libraries that works with Excel, but that would, of course, be a complete rewrite.


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    Original Message


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