Hi,

I have 3 somewhat related issues where I would like some help:

1. Occasionally I run into the problem of files that remain "open", even though I am not acting on the file, and nothing is executing. I see the "IBM SPSS Statistics Processor is ready"  message on the bottom right hand side of the screen. But when I run syntax that would overwrite the file, the system tells me the file is being used, and then writes the new file as [filename]_1. I use DATASET CLOSE ALL, and also try (unsuccessfully) to manually delete the file in Windows Explorer, but it tells me the same, that the file is in use and cannot be deleted. The only way to release the file, is to close down SPSS, and start over again.  Is there a different command I could use to close up all open files?
2. I create and run mostly macros created using define - !enddefine. Also occasionally, as with #1, after the macro starts executing, I realize there is a mistake, and I try to interrupt the processor... The system pretty much ignores Ctrl+., and accessing the File -> Stop Processor menu option is nearly impossible as it keeps getting removed from the screen, or the menu is totally unresponsive.
3. Related to the 2 issues above, the macros include OMS and OMSEND commands. If I happen to succeed at interrupting the processor, and the interruption happens to take place in between the OMS and the OMSEND command, the system still thinks the OMS command is still open, and if I run the macro again it tells me I cannot use the OMS tag because it is already in use...

Any help with these issues would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

E.

Hi,

I have 3 somewhat related issues where I would like some help:

1. Occasionally I run into the problem of files that remain "open", even though I am not acting on the file, and nothing is executing. I see the "IBM SPSS Statistics Processor is ready"  message on the bottom right hand side of the screen. But when I run syntax that would overwrite the file, the system tells me the file is being used, and then writes the new file as [filename]_1. I use DATASET CLOSE ALL, and also try (unsuccessfully) to manually delete the file in Windows Explorer, but it tells me the same, that the file is in use and cannot be deleted. The only way to release the file, is to close down SPSS, and start over again.  Is there a different command I could use to close up all open files?
2. I create and run mostly macros created using define - !enddefine. Also occasionally, as with #1, after the macro starts executing, I realize there is a mistake, and I try to interrupt the processor... The system pretty much ignores Ctrl+., and accessing the File -> Stop Processor menu option is nearly impossible as it keeps getting removed from the screen, or the menu is totally unresponsive.
3. Related to the 2 issues above, the macros include OMS and OMSEND commands. If I happen to succeed at interrupting the processor, and the interruption happens to take place in between the OMS and the OMSEND command, the system still thinks the OMS command is still open, and if I run the macro again it tells me I cannot use the OMS tag because it is already in use...

Any help with these issues would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

E.

Thank you John, for taking the time to respond.

Re point #1:

I forgot to mention that I also try NEW FILE and still the offending file remains "in use". But anyway, thanks for your suggestions on this issue.

Re point #2:

Unfortunately I have tried the ctrl + . persistently and the program keeps on going stubbornly, sometimes I can see the case count increasing in the millions when the data file only has a few thousand cases. Not quite sure what is it that it is counting.

I use INCLUDE the macros, rather than INSERT them, and from what I read in the manual ERROR=STOP is how INCLUDE works, but nothing gets executed form the included file. The file I include has as a first line DEFINE !macro(...) and a last line !ENDDEFINE. After the INCLUDE command, the next line is !macro with the corresponding parameters.

Re point #3

Makes sense. Thank you. I was hoping there was a way to "kill" the OMSEND command since I am creating a very long output and when I then try OMSEND, it goes off to write the output I already know is not correct and this takes a while. Maybe I need a bit more patience, or get it right the first time...

Thanks again!

E.

Hi,

I have 3 somewhat related issues where I would like some help:

1. Occasionally I run into the problem of files that remain "open", even though I am not acting on the file, and nothing is executing. I see the "IBM SPSS Statistics Processor is ready"  message on the bottom right hand side of the screen. But when I run syntax that would overwrite the file, the system tells me the file is being used, and then writes the new file as [filename]_1. I use DATASET CLOSE ALL, and also try (unsuccessfully) to manually delete the file in Windows Explorer, but it tells me the same, that the file is in use and cannot be deleted. The only way to release the file, is to close down SPSS, and start over again.  Is there a different command I could use to close up all open files?
2. I create and run mostly macros created using define - !enddefine. Also occasionally, as with #1, after the macro starts executing, I realize there is a mistake, and I try to interrupt the processor... The system pretty much ignores Ctrl+., and accessing the File -> Stop Processor menu option is nearly impossible as it keeps getting removed from the screen, or the menu is totally unresponsive.
3. Related to the 2 issues above, the macros include OMS and OMSEND commands. If I happen to succeed at interrupting the processor, and the interruption happens to take place in between the OMS and the OMSEND command, the system still thinks the OMS command is still open, and if I run the macro again it tells me I cannot use the OMS tag because it is already in use...

Any help with these issues would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

E.