SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

944 MATRIX—END MATRIX
FORMAT Specification
FORMAT specifies how the matrix processor should interpret the input data. The format descriptor
can be any valid SPSS data format, such as F6, E12.2, or A6, or it can be a type
code; for example, F, E, or A.
• If you omit the FORMAT specification, the default is F.
• You can specify the width of fixed-size data fields with either a FORMAT specification or a
BY clause on a FIELD specification. You can include it in both places only if you specify the
same value.
• If you do not include either a FORMAT or a BY clause on FIELD, READ expects values separated
by blanks or commas.
• An additional way of specifying the width is to supply a repetition factor without a width
(for example, 10F, 5COMMA, or 3E). The field width is then calculated by dividing the
width of the whole input area on the FIELD specification by the repetition factor. A format
with a digit for the repetition factor must be enclosed in quotes.
• Only one format can be specified. A specification such as FORMAT=’5F2.0 3F3.0
F2.0’ is invalid.
WRITE Statement: Writing Character Data
WRITE writes the value of a matrix expression to an external file. The syntax of the WRITE
statement is:
WRITE matrix expression
[/OUTFILE = file reference]
/FIELD = startcol TO endcol [BY width]
[/MODE = {RECTANGULAR}]
{TRIANGULAR }
[/HOLD]
[/FORMAT = format descriptor]
Matrix Expression Specification
Specify any matrix expression that evaluates to the value(s) to be written.
• The matrix specification must precede any other specifications on the WRITE statement.
• You can specify a matrix name, a matrix raised to a power, or a matrix function (with its
arguments in parentheses) by itself, but you must enclose other matrix expressions in
parentheses. For example, WRITE A, WRITE INV(A), or WRITE B**DET(T(C)*D)
is legal, but WRITE A+B is not. You must specify WRITE (A+B).
• Constant expressions are allowed.
OUTFILE Specification
OUTFILE designates the character file to which the matrix expression is to be written. The
file reference can be an actual filename in apostrophes or quotation marks, or a file handle