Read ASCII data variable name, value and value labels

* The value and value labels are in an ASCII file. Have to read them and apply the labels to a data file.
* Raynald Levesque rlevesque@videotron.ca.

NEW FILE.
INPUT PROGRAM.
* syntax assumes that if there is a blank is column 2 and that 
the line contains a variable name.

DATA LIST FIXED /KIND 2-2(A).
DO IF (kind EQ ' ').
REREAD.
DATA LIST /v_value 1-1(F) lab1 3-15(A).
END CASE.
ELSE.
REREAD.
DATA LIST /v_name 1-8(A).
LEAVE v_name.
END CASE.
END IF.
END INPUT PROGRAM.

* This is the file which contains the value labels.
BEGIN DATA
var1
1 small
2 big
var2 
1 strong
2 weak
3 dont know
var3
1 frequently
2 infrequently
4 once a week
6 once a month 
END DATA.

LIST.

SELECT IF ~MISSING(v_value).

STRING q1(A1).
COMPUTE q1='"'.
SORT CASES BY v_name.
MATCH FILES FILE=* /BY=v_name  /FIRST=first.

* ------- write a syntax file to assign the value labels.
WRITE OUTFILE 'c:\\temp\\temp1.sps' 
/"ADD VALUE LABELS " v_name " "  v_value " " q1 lab1 q1".".
EXE.

*Say this is your data file (without the labels); read it.
NEW FILE.
DATA LIST LIST /var1 var2 var3.
BEGIN DATA
1 1 1
2 2 2
1 3 4
2 1 6
1 3 4
END DATA.
LIST.

* then apply the labels.
INCLUDE 'c:\\temp\\temp1.sps'.
* that's it!.