SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

Operations
Example
Example
Example
VARIABLE LABELS 1645
• Unlike most transformations, VARIABLE LABELS takes effect as soon as it is encountered
in the command sequence. Thus, special attention should be paid to its position among
commands (see “Command Order” on p. 8 in Volume I).
• Variable labels are automatically displayed in the output from many procedures and are
stored in the dictionary of the working data file.
• VARIABLE LABELS can be used for variables that have no previously assigned variable
labels. If a variable has a previously assigned variable label, the new label replaces the
old label.
VARIABLE LABELS YRHIRED ’YEAR OF FIRST HIRING’
DEPT88 ’DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT IN 1988’
SALARY88 ’YEARLY SALARY IN 1988’
JOBCAT ’JOB CATEGORIES’.
• Variable labels are assigned to the variables YRHIRED, DEPT88, SALARY88, and JOBCAT.
VARIABLE LABELS OLDSAL "EMPLOYEE’S GROSS SALARY PRIOR"
+ " TO 1988".
• The label for OLDSAL is created by combining two strings with the plus sign. The blank
between PRIOR and TO must be included in the first or second string to be included in the
label.
VARIABLE LABELS myvar "A Fairly Long Label \n That Always Wraps".
FREQUENCIES myvar.
Figure 2 Using \n to Wrap Variable Labels
Valid
1.00
A Fairly Long Label
That Always Wraps
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
1 100.0 100.0 100.0