The main Editor/Interface is used to control the creation and editing of files and the execution of the various NewMDSX procedures. It consists of two tabbed panels, one for input and the other for output. It can also be used to edit other files, including any saved graphic images.
Input files can be opened directly, or created by clicking on this
button calling the Input Wizard
corresponding to the NewMDSX procedure
selected from the
pull-down menu to the right of the toolbar. (Uncheck Always
show Wizards on the Help menu to avoid always seeing an
input Wizard.
This main window offers fully-functional text editing facilities, with the ability to change font types, sizes and colours, to search for strings in the files displayed, to edit, annotate and save input and output of the various NewMDSX procedures. Besides offering to open, save or print files, the File menu also allows you to Reopen files you have recently used. Alternatively, you can click on the appropriate buttons to open, save and print files.
Clicking on the button (or the Tools|Data entry menu item)
calls the WOMBATS routine (Work Out
Measures Before Attempting To Scale).
This generates matrices of a wide variety of measures of
(dis)similarity for use by NewMDSX procedures or by
other programs.
Use this button (or Tools|Matrix conversion)
to call a utility to convert between matrix
formats.
The NewMDSX procedures themselves employ a set of commands similar to, though not identical with, those used in SPSS. Program-specific parameters are set with the PARAMETERS command. See the help entries on individual procedures for full details of their particular parameters.
Click on the Run
button on the toolbar to execute the procedure selected in the pull-down
menu to the right of the toolbar, taking as input the file
currently displayed in the editor window.
Clicking on
the Graphics button when output from one of the NewMDSX
procedures is displayed will open a graphic display of the next configuration,
Shepard diagram,
dendrogram or stress plot for which the
data are listed following the current cursor position.
Alternatively, place the cursor inside the boundaries of the
corresponding line-printer-style plot, if one has been requested,
and click on the Graphics button for this function.
Unlike the DOS version of MDS(X), all commands in NewMDSX procedures may be entered in UPPER or lower case letters and in free format. Spaces are ignored except in keywords, which must be typed in full. Data values are by default expected to be in free format, separated only by spaces.
See also: