An SPSS macro is a function defined by the user in order to automate some task(s).
SPSS Macro Syntax
- As discussed earlier, Python uses program blocks that start with
BEGIN PROGRAM.and end with
- A different kind of program block may start with
DEFINEand end with
!ENDDEFINE.. Between these commands you'll find code that looks a lot like basic SPSS syntax with a lot of exclamation marks. Such a function is called a macro.
SPSS Macros Versus Python
- Since the introduction of Python for SPSS, macros may safely be considered deprecated.
- Everything that can be done with a macro (and way more than that) can be done with Python as well.
- On top of that, Python code is usually much shorter and more readable than the same task in macro language.