SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

442 DEFINE—!ENDDEFINE
• Immediately after DEFINE, specify the macro name. All macros must have a name. The
name is used in the macro call to refer to the macro. Macro names can begin with an
exclamation point (!), but other than this, follow the usual naming conventions. Starting
a name with an ! ensures that it will not conflict with the other text or variables in the
session.
• Immediately after the macro name, specify an optional argument definition in parentheses.
This specification indicates the arguments that will be read when the macro is
called. If you do not want to include arguments, specify just the parentheses; the parentheses
are required, whether or not they enclose an argument.
• Next specify the body of the macro. The macro body can include commands, parts of
commands, or macro statements (macro directives, string manipulation statements, and
looping and conditional processing statements).
• At the end of the macro body, specify the !ENDDEFINE command.
To invoke the macro, issue a macro call in the command sequence. To call a macro, specify
the macro name and any necessary arguments. If there are no arguments, only the macro
name is required.
Operations
• When macros are used in a prompted session, the command line prompt changes to
DEFINE> between the DEFINE and !ENDDEFINE commands.
• When the program reads the macro definition, it translates into upper case all text (except
arguments) not enclosed in quotation marks. Arguments are read in upper and lower case.
• The macro facility does not build and execute commands; rather, it expands strings in a
process called macro expansion. A macro call initiates macro expansion. After the
strings are expanded, the commands (or parts of commands) that contain the expanded
strings are executed as part of the command sequence.
• Any elements on the macro call that are not used in the macro expansion are read and
combined with the expanded strings.
• The expanded strings and the remaining elements from the macro call, if any, must
conform to the syntax rules for the program. If not, the program generates either a
warning or an error message, depending on the nature of the syntax problem.
Limitations
• The BEGIN DATA—END DATA commands are not allowed within a macro.
• The DEFINE command is not allowed within a macro.