You can use scripts to customize operations within a particular flow, and they're saved with that flow. For example, you might use a script to specify a particular run order for terminal nodes. You use the flow properties page to edit the script that is saved with the current flow.

To access scripting in a flow's properties, click Scripting in the toolbar.

You can specify whether the script runs when the flow runs. To run the script each time the flow runs, respecting the run order of the script, select Run the script. This setting provides automation at the flow level for quicker model building. Or, to ignore the script, you can select Run all terminal nodes when the flow runs.

The script editor includes the following features that help with script authoring:

• Syntax highlighting that highlights keywords, literal values (such as strings and numbers), and comments
• Line numbering
• Block matching that highlights the corresponding end block when you place your cursor near the start of a program block
• Suggested auto-completion

A list of suggested syntax completions can be accessed by selecting Auto-Suggest from the menu, or pressing Ctrl + Space. Use the cursor keys to move up and down the list, then press Enter to insert the selected text. To exit from auto-suggest mode without modifying the existing text, press Esc.

Messages

Messages contain updates about system information that are generated as SPSS Modeler runs. You can view messages about flow operations, such as running, optimization, scripts, and time elapsed for model building and evaluation. Error messages are also reported here.