Execute selective portions of syntax

* QUESTION:
>In SAS there is a way to comment out an entire block of command lines by
>beginning with /* and ending with */ (I may have these reversed). Does
>anyone know of a similar command in SPSS?  For example, let's say I have
>100 commands of syntax that runs five similar operations, each twenty
>commands long (call them part a,b,c,d,e) and I want to run parts b and e
>while blocking out a,c,d.  Other than highlighting b and e with the
>mouse and clicking on 'run current', I must put a comment (*) before
>each command in order to block out the unwanted part.  But if I could
>block out large sections in one fell swoop I wouldn't have to search 100
>commands for (.) and (*).
>
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.

* SOLUTION posted by rlevesqeu@videotron.ca to spss newsgroup on 2001/07/8.

One option solution is to 
1. save the five parts as five differrent syntax file named a.sps, b.sps, c.sps, etc

2. write a new syntax file (named, say, All5.sps) made up of the following 5 lines:
INCLUDE FILE="(path)\\a.sps".
INCLUDE FILE="(path)\\b.sps".
INCLUDE FILE="(path)\\c.sps".
INCLUDE FILE="(path)\\d.sps".
INCLUDE FILE="(path)\\e.sps".

3. When you  execute All5.sps all 5 pieces of syntax are executed.
4. If you want to run only b and e, all you have to do is add a * at the beginning of lines 1, 3 and 4.

5. Alternatively, you could also define a macro such as

DEFINE !dothis (!POS=!CMDEND)
!LET !path="c:\\temp\\"
!DO !nb !IN (!1)
INCLUDE FILE=!QUOTE(!CONCAT(!path,!nb,".sps")).
!DOEND
!ENDDEFINE.

and call the macro like this
!dothis b e.
to do only parts b and e.

DEFINE !dothis (!POS=!CMDEND)
!LET !path="c:\\temp\\"
!DO !nb !IN (!1)
INCLUDE FILE=!QUOTE(!CONCAT(!path,!nb,".sps")).
!DOEND
!ENDDEFINE.

!dothis b e.