SPSS syntax for naming individual analyses in output file outline - syntax

Question

I have created syntax in SPSS that gives me 90 separate iterations of general linear model, each with slightly different variations fixed factors and covariates. In the output file, they are all just named as "General Linear Model." I have to then manually rename each analysis in the output, and I want to find syntax that will add a more specific name to each result that will help me identify it out of the other 89 results (e.g. "General Linear Model - Males Only: Mean by Gender w/ Weight covariate").
This is an example of one analysis from the syntax:
USE ALL.
COMPUTE filter_$=(Muscle = "BICEPS" & Subj = "S1" & SMU = 1 ).
VARIABLE LABELS filter_$ 'Muscle = "BICEPS" & Subj = "S1" & SMU = 1 (FILTER)'.
VALUE LABELS filter_$ 0 'Not Selected' 1 'Selected'.
FORMATS filter_$ (f1.0). FILTER BY filter_$.
EXECUTE.
GLM Frequency_Wk6 Frequency_Wk9
Frequency_Wk12 Frequency_Wk16
Frequency_Wk20
/WSFACTOR=Time 5 Polynomial
/METHOD=SSTYPE(3)
/PLOT=PROFILE(Time)
/EMMEANS=TABLES(Time)
/CRITERIA=ALPHA(.05)
/WSDESIGN=Time.
I am looking for syntax to add to this that will name this analysis as: "S1, SMU1 BICEPS, GLM" Not to name the whole output file, but each analysis within the output so I don't have to do it one-by-one. I have over 200 iterations at times that come out in a single output file, and renaming them individually within the output file is taking too much time.

Answer 1

Making an assumption that you are exporting the models to Excel (please clarify otherwise).
There is an undocumented command (OUTPUT COMMENT TEXT) that you can utilize here, though there is also a custom extension TEXT also designed to achieve the same but that would need to be explicitly downloaded via:
Utilities-->Extension Bundles-->Download And Install Extension Bundles--->TEXT
You can use OUTPUT COMMENT TEXT to assign a title/descriptive text just before the output of the GLM model (in the example below I have used FREQUENCIES as an example).
get file="C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\23\Samples\English\Employee data.sav".
oms /select all /if commands=['output comment' 'frequencies'] subtypes=['comment' 'frequencies']
/destination format=xlsx outfile='C:\Temp\ExportOutput.xlsx' /tag='ExportOutput'.
output comment text="##Model##: This is a long/descriptive title to help me identify the next model that is to be run - jobcat".
freq jobcat.
output comment text="##Model##: This is a long/descriptive title to help me identify the next model that is to be run - gender".
freq gender.
output comment text="##Model##: This is a long/descriptive title to help me identify the next model that is to be run - minority".
freq minority.
omsend tag=['ExportOutput'].
You could use TITLE command here also but it is limited to only 60 characters.
You would have to change the OMS tags appropriately if using TITLE or TEXT.
Edit:
Given the OP wants to actually add a title to the left hand pane in the output viewer, a solution for this is as follows (credit to Albert-Jan Roskam for the Python code):
First save the python file "editTitles.py" to a valid Python search path (for example (for me anyway): "C:\ProgramData\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\23\extensions")
#editTitles.py
import tempfile, os, sys
import SpssClient
def _titleToPane():
"""See titleToPane(). This function does the actual job"""
outputDoc = SpssClient.GetDesignatedOutputDoc()
outputItemList = outputDoc.GetOutputItems()
textFormat = SpssClient.DocExportFormat.SpssFormatText
filename = tempfile.mktemp() + ".txt"
for index in range(outputItemList.Size()):
outputItem = outputItemList.GetItemAt(index)
if outputItem.GetDescription() == u"Page Title":
outputItem.ExportToDocument(filename, textFormat)
with open(filename) as f:
outputItem.SetDescription(f.read().rstrip())
os.remove(filename)
return outputDoc
def titleToPane(spv=None):
"""Copy the contents of the TITLE command of the designated output document
to the left output viewer pane"""
try:
outputDoc = None
SpssClient.StartClient()
if spv:
SpssClient.OpenOutputDoc(spv)
outputDoc = _titleToPane()
if spv and outputDoc:
outputDoc.SaveAs(spv)
except:
print "Error filling TITLE in Output Viewer [%s]" % sys.exc_info()[1]
finally:
SpssClient.StopClient()
Re-start SPSS Statistics and run below as a test:
get file="C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\23\Samples\English\Employee data.sav".
title="##Model##: jobcat".
freq jobcat.
title="##Model##: gender".
freq gender.
title="##Model##: minority".
freq minority.
begin program.
import editTitles
editTitles.titleToPane()
end program.
The TITLE command will initially add a title to main output viewer (right hand side) but then the python code will transfer that text to the left hand pane output tree structure. As mentioned already, note TITLE is capped to 60 characters only, a warning will be triggered to highlight this also.
This editTitles.py approach is the closest you are going to get to include a descriptive title to identify each model. To replace the actual title "General Linear Model." with a custom title would require scripting knowledge and would involve a lot more code. This is a simpler alternative approach. Python integration required for this to work.

Answer 2

Also consider using:
SPLIT FILE SEPARATE BY <list of filter variables>.
This will automatically produce filter labels in the left hand pane.
This is easy to use for mutually exclusive filters but even if you have overlapping filters you can re-run multiple times (and have filters applied to get as close to your desired set of results).
For example:
get file="C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\23\Samples\English\Employee data.sav".
sort cases by jobcat minority.
split file separate by jobcat minority.
freq educ.
split file off.