Overview (LIST command)

LIST displays case values for variables in the active dataset. The output is similar to the output produced by the PRINT command. However, LIST is a procedure and reads data, whereas PRINT is a transformation and requires a procedure (or the EXECUTE command) to execute it.

Options

Selecting and Ordering Variables. You can specify a list of variables to be listed using the VARIABLES subcommand.

Format. You can limit each case listing to a single line, and you can display the case number for each listed case with the FORMAT subcommand.

Selecting Cases. You can limit the listing to a particular sequence of cases using the CASES subcommand.

Basic Specification

  • The basic specification is simply LIST, which displays the values for all variables in the active dataset.
  • By default, cases wrap to multiple lines if all the values do not fit within the page width (the page width is determined by the SET WIDTH command). Case numbers are not displayed for the listed cases.

Subcommand Order

All subcommands are optional and can be named in any order.

Operations

  • If VARIABLES is not specified, variables are listed in the order in which they appear in the active dataset.
  • LIST does not display values for scratch or system variables.
  • LIST uses print formats contained in the dictionary of the active dataset. Alternative formats cannot be specified on LIST. See FORMATS or PRINT FORMATS for information on changing print formats.
  • LIST output uses the width specified on SET.
  • If a numeric value is longer than its defined width, the program first attempts to list the value by removing punctuation characters, then uses scientific notation, and finally prints asterisks.
  • If a long string variable cannot be listed within the output width, it is truncated.
  • Values of the variables listed for a case are always separated by at least one blank.
  • System-missing values are displayed as a period for numeric variables and a blank for string variables.
  • If cases fit on one line, the column width for each variable is determined by the length of the variable name or the format, whichever is greater. If the variable names do not fit on one line, they are printed vertically.
  • If cases do not fit on one line within the output width specified on SET, they are wrapped. LIST displays a table illustrating the location of the variables in the output and prints the name of the first variable in each line at the beginning of the line.
  • Each execution of LIST begins at the top of a new page. If SPLIT FILE is in effect, each split also begins at the top of a new page.