Susan - glad to see you are using EpiData. I think you just need to look at some of the sample files to get over the initial step of learning some of the syntax.

You cannot create a variable of mixed type (##____________). This will always create two variables and this is how you need to set up your file. Although programs like Access will let you create patterns for data entry, they will not let you create mixed type variables. You will find that EpiData has huge advantages.

I suggest you just set up your data entry line as follows

somevar ##__________________________

EpiData creates two fields (variables), named "somevar" and "somevar01" - may vary depending on your settings. This is actually exactly what you want. You can then set a range or legal values on the ## field to be sure the entry is correct. If you need to combine them into one at some point, this is very easy in EpiData or any other software.

In your other postings, there are a couple of things to watch out for - these are explained in the short introduction file. 1) In the check file, text that has any spaces or other special characters must be put into regular quotes

3 "espanol e ingles igual"

2) If your entry field is ##, do not use decimal points in the range or legal values

LABEL label_dm2 lang pref 1 Spanish 2 English END

While a number of us will be glad to offer help as you get started, I encourage you to look at examples, at the list serv archives and at all of the help files for guidance.

Jamie

I want to create a variable that is numeric ## and text ___________________________ for a fill in response such as “other”. However, a combination of text and numeric within the same variable creates two variables. For statistical purposes I don’t want to opt for text only. Suggestions?

Susan Caplan, RN, MSN, FNP-BC Yale University PhD Student in Nursing