Running Python code with Python
Python 2 is no longer installed with IBM SPSS Statistics and is not supported in IBM SPSS Statistics version 28 and above.
Python 3.9.1 is installed with SPSS version 28; Python 3.10.4 is installed with SPSS version 29.
For release 28 and higher, the IBM® SPSS® Statistics - Integration Plug-in for Python supports code written in Python 3.9.1. All functions and classes available with the Integration Plug-in for Python are supported in Python 3.9.1.
Accessing the Python 3 runtime environment
Using the User Interface
- In Windows, click “Python3 for SPSS Statistics (GUI)”.
- On Mac, by click “Python3 for SPSS Statistics”.
From a command prompt or terminal window
- In Windows, by selecting statisticspython3.bat located in the IBM SPSS Statistics installation path.
- On Mac, by selecting the statisticspython3 script located in the application bundle’s /bin folder.
Running Python 3 in SPSS
From command syntax
- In a syntax window, place the Python code in a BEGIN PROGRAM PYTHON3 - END PROGRAM block.
- Using the SCRIPT command, specify PYTHONVERSION=3
- When developing an extension command, specify LanguageVersion="3" along with Language="Python" in the Command element of the extensions’s XML specification.
From the User Interface
- Select File > New > Script or File > Open > Script.
- Alternatively, use Utilities > Run Script.
Using an external Python 3 distribution
To use an external Python 3 distribution, set the home path of the external distribution in the Python 3 home directory field (Edit > Options > File Locations > Python 3 Location > Other installation of Python 3). For IBM SPSS Statistics Server, update the Python 3 home path in the spssdxcfg.ini file's [Python3] section. The file is located in the SPSS Statistics installation path (bin folder on UNIX). For example:
[Python3]
HOME=
LIB_NAME=InvokePython39
Using Python 3 third-party packages
To manually install third-party Python 3 packages, complete the following steps:
- Open a command line instance
- Go to the SPSS Statistics installation path (bin folder on UNIX).
- Run the statisticspython3 script using -m pip install <package_name1> <package_name2> to install packages. For example, enter the following command to install the numpy and scipy packages.
On Windows: statisticspython3.bat -m pip install numpy scipy.
On UNIX-based systems: statisticspython3 -m pip install numpy scipy
Known issues
- Python scripting and com scripting will not work if the application is in Workbook mode (Edit > Options... > General > Application Mode).
- The Python runtime environment will not work after you uninstall IBM SPSS Statistics and reinstall to a different path. To resolve the issue you must remove the virtual Python environment (Python39 directory).
On Windows: %APPDATA%\IBM\SPSS Statistics\28\Python39.
On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/IBM/SPSS Statistics/28/Python39.