FILE CREATE <name>,<bytes/obs>,<max # fields>
creates a Survo data file as described in the following example.
Creating Survo data file COMMUNES:
* <bytes/obs> = number of bytes for each record (commune) is 128.
* <max # fields> = maximum number of variables (fields) is 20.
* A free description of the purpose and the contents of the file may
precede the field descriptions (between lines FIELDS: and END).
* Each field is defined by one line including information as follows:
# of field
| Type of field (S=string, N=numeric)
| | Length of field (1,2,4 or 8 for numeric, up to 70 for string)
| | | Name of field (8 first characters form the reference word)
| | | |
FILE CREATE COMMUNES,128,20
The file consists of the Finnish communes.
Statistics mostly from 1979-80
FIELDS:
1 S 16 Commune Name of the commune
2 S 3 County UUS,TUR,AHV,HAM,KYM,MIK,KAR,KUO,KES,VAA,OUL,LAP
3 N 4 People Population 1.1.1980 (######) {100,500000}
4 N 4 Births Live births in 1978 (####) {0,6000}
5 N 8 Area Land area km^2 1.1.1979 (#####.##)
END
In case of a numeric field the field description may include
- the format of the variable for printouts etc. in the form (###.#),
in case of string fields the proper format is (#12), 12=# of bytes
- the range of permitted values in the form {lower limit,upper limit}
The range of the variable is tested when data are entered in FILE EDIT
or FILE SHOW operation, for example.
Parameters <bytes/obs> and <max # fields> in
FILE CREATE <name>,<bytes/obs>,<max # fields>
are optional. If they are missing, values are selected according to
the FIELDS list by adding some extra space for future expansions.
There are still other optional parameters available, but they are
needed only in special circumstances (See next page).
The extra parameters A1,A2 and A3 in
FILE CREATE <name>,<bytes/obs>,<max # fields>,A1,A2,A3
have the following tasks:
A1 is the length of the field name (default is 64).
A2 is the number of mask columns (see MASK?), (default 7).
A3 is the number of initial observations (default is 0).
For example, a file XYZ to be filled entirely with artificial data
(generated by the VAR operation, for example) can be originated with
space allocated for 500 observations by
FILE CREATE XYZ,128,20,64,7,500
D = More information on data management
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