SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

LINE Subcommand
GRAPH 697
LINE creates one of five types of line charts using keywords SIMPLE, MULTIPLE, DROP,
AREA, or DIFFERENCE.
• Only one keyword can be specified, and it must be specified in the parentheses.
• When no keyword is specified, the default is either SIMPLE or MULTIPLE, depending on
the type of function/variable specification.
SIMPLE Simple line chart. A simple line chart is defined by a single function and a
single BY variable or by multiple functions and no BY keyword. This is the
default if no keyword is specified on LINE and the data define a simple line
(see Figure 15 to Figure 17).
MULTIPLE Multiple line chart. A multiple line chart is defined by a single function and
two BY variables or by multiple functions and a single BY variable. This is the
default if no keyword is specified on LINE and the data define a multiple line
(see Figure 18 to Figure 20).
DROP Drop-line chart. A drop-line chart shows the difference between two or more
fluctuating variables. It is defined by a single function and two BY variables or
by multiple functions and a single BY variable (see Figure 21 to Figure 24).
AREA Area line chart. An area line chart fills the area beneath each line with a color
or pattern. When multiple lines are specified, the second line is the sum of the
first and second variables, the third line is the sum of the first, second, and
third variables, and so on. The specification is the same as that for a simple or
multiple line chart. Figure 25 to Figure 27 show area line charts with multiple
lines.
DIFFERENCE Difference line chart. A difference line chart fills the area between a pair of
lines. It highlights the difference between two variables or two groups. A
difference line chart is defined by a single function and two BY variables or
by two summary functions and a single BY variable. If a second BY variable
is used to define the two groups, the variable must be dichotomous (see Figure
28 to Figure 31).
Figure 15 /LINE=COUNT BY TIME
Specification: count_function BY var
or: sum_function(var) BY var
y-axis title: fn name [+fn var label]
y-axis labels: fn value scale
x-axis title: BY var label
x-axis labels: BY var value labels
Each point on the line represents the number of valid cases for one category.