Choice of include file depends on existence of a given variable

* Say you need to run the file c:\\temp\\mysyntax.sps when a given variable does not exists.
* The following syntax checks whether the given variable exists.
* NOTE: Before running this syntax, you need to create the file c:\\temp\\mysyntax.sps.
* It could contain a single line with a comment ' *This is the mysyntax.sps file'.
* Posted to SPSSX-L list on 2001/04/24 by rlevesque@videotron.ca.

SET MPRINT=yes.

*/////////////////////////////.
DEFINE !exist (varname=!TOKENS(1))
SAVE OUTFILE='c:\\temp\\temp.sav'.
N OF CASES 1.
FLIP.
IF (!QUOTE(!UPCASE(!varname))=CONCAT('',RTRIM(UPCASE(case_lbl)),'')) exist=1.
COMPUTE dummy=1.
AGGREGATE
  /OUTFILE=*
  /BREAK=dummy
  /exist = MAX(exist).

DO IF ~MISSING(exist).
WRITE OUTFILE='c:\\temp\\testvar.sps' /'* Nothing to do, variable exists.'.
ELSE.
WRITE OUTFILE='c:\\temp\\testvar.sps' /'* Variable does not exist, must include file.' /'INCLUDE FILE=''c:\\temp\\mysyntax.sps''.'.
END IF.
EXECUTE.
GET FILE='c:\\temp\\temp.sav'.
INCLUDE FILE='c:\\temp\\testvar.sps'.
!ENDDEFINE.
*/////////////////////////////.

GET FILE='c:\\program files\\spss\\employee data.sav'.
* Next macro call will NOT include the file mysyntax.sps.
!exist varname=educ.

GET FILE='c:\\program files\\spss\\employee data.sav'.
* Next macro call will INCLUDE the file mysyntax.sps.
!exist varname=notexist.