Creating and managing custom dialogs

The Custom Dialog Builder creates custom dialogs for generating command syntax.

Using the Custom Dialog Builder you can:

  • Create your own version of a dialog for a built-in IBM® SPSS® Statistics procedure. For example, you can create a dialog for the Frequencies procedure that only allows the user to select the set of variables and then generates command syntax with pre-set options that standardize the output.
  • Create a user interface that generates command syntax for an extension command. Extension commands are user-defined IBM SPSS Statistics commands that are implemented in the Python programming language, R or Java. See the topic Custom Dialogs for Extension Commands for more information.
  • Open a file containing the specification for a custom dialog--perhaps created by another user--and add the dialog to your installation of IBM SPSS Statistics, optionally making your own modifications.
  • Save the specification for a custom dialog so that other users can add it to their installations of IBM SPSS Statistics.

The Custom Dialog Builder supports two modes of operation:

Custom Dialog Builder for Extensions

This mode creates and modifies custom dialogs within new or existing extensions. When you open the Custom Dialog Builder in this mode, a new extension that contains an empty custom dialog is created. When you save or install custom dialogs in this mode, they are saved or installed as part of an extension.

Dialogs that you create in this mode are referred to as enhanced custom dialogs. Enhanced custom dialogs have many new features that were not available in releases of IBM SPSS Statistics before release 24. In that regard, enhanced dialogs are incompatible with pre-24 releases.

To open the Custom Dialog Builder in this mode, from the menus choose:

Extensions > Custom Dialog Builder for Extensions

Custom Dialog Builder - Compatibility mode

This mode creates and modifies custom dialogs that are compatible with all releases of IBM SPSS Statistics and are referred to as compatible custom dialogs. Compatible custom dialogs do not have the added features that are available with enhanced dialogs.

  • The controls and control properties that are supported in compatibility mode are the same controls and properties that are supported in the Custom Dialog Builder in pre-24 releases.
  • When you save a dialog in compatibility mode, it is saved as a compatible custom dialog package (.spd) file, which you can then add to an extension.
  • Starting with IBM SPSS Statistics 26, use Custom Dialog Builder for Extensions to create .spe files (instead of .spd files).

To open the Custom Dialog Builder in compatibility mode, from the menus choose:

Extensions > Utilities > Custom Dialog Builder (Compatibility mode)...