Command Syntax Editor

THe problem

No Good Solution for Creating Scripts

The beating heart of SPSS is a command scripting language named “Syntax”. Most experienced users of SPSS use Syntax more than they use the GUI for creating transformations and analyses. Prior to this project, the environment for those writing Syntax the Syntax Editor was a modified version of MS Notepad (see below). The Editor offered no validation, no error handling, and few of the features common for Integrated Development Environments (IDEs).

THe Process

Improve the Experience of the Script Editor

Discovery
- An online survey of over 400 of our users found that that 80% used Syntax at least part of the time and 30% used Syntax almost exclusively.
- Phone calls and face to face discussions with Syntax users found a high degree of dissatisfaction with the Syntax Editor.
- We reviewed customer comments online, to support, and in one-on-one discussions to identify their needs and expectations for a Syntax IDE. Issues included:
  - Getting 'lost' in the code
  - Not being able to identify the location of errors
  - No validation (had to run to test)
  - Minimal assistance on writing Syntax
Competitive Analysis
- We documented the most common features available in IDEs for other languages and identified which of those features would be the most valuable to our users.
Technology
- A major issue for development was which technology to use to create the IDE.
- The decision was to create an XML version of Syntax that could be used to provide the required metadata for the features we were looking to implement. (I both designed the XML Schema and converted Syntax into XML for the project.)

THe Product

An Integrated Development Environment

The final tool was designed around a common Windows pattern for the time of a navigation panel on the left and the work area on the right.

The Navigation bar, markers to show the start and end of each statement, and the automatic formatting address the concerns users had about 'getting lost' in their code.
The color coding and auto formatting helped users both create their script and check for errors
Embedded validation tools allow users to see errors in the code before runtime
Errors found at runtime are displayed in a list with linked line numbers for faster debugging

The other part of the tool was an environment where users could create their own dialogs for their Syntax.

Canvas and toolbox design
Optimized for speed and simplicity
Simple replacement logic where values generated by controls were written into the generated Syntax

THe Conclusion

This addition to the product was hugely successful.

Follow-up discussions with users identified this as a major improvement to the product. A few even expressed that they main reason for their decision to renew their product license was this feature.
Several reviews of the product identified this as a primary reason to purchase the product.
SPSS saw an increase in sales as a direct result of the interest in this feature.
The following year a "Developers Version" of SPSS was created specifically to capitalize on the popularity of the new Syntax editor.

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