1.4 Useful Commands

If you are wondering what kind of commands to use, you can start with help. This will present a list of all available commands. The microdata.no analysis system uses a relatively simple and intuitive self-developed English based syntax.

If you want full information about a particular command, this can be solved by entering help followed by the command name, e.g. help import. An explanation with examples of use is then displayed. A complete list of commands and functions is shown in Appendices A and B.

Another useful command is history. It will list all commands that have been used in a session. This list can be copied into the system's script editor for an automatic execution of all the commands, cf. section 1.5, or into a private document.

The command clear may be used to delete all content in the workspace if you want to start all over again. This should therefore be used with caution!

An alternative to clear may be to use the known key combination CTRL + Z. This is a widely used "regret-functionality", where the last operation is made undone (takes you one step back). This may be done unlimited amount of steps, until only an empty work area remains. The key combination CTRL + Y may be used to redo the last "undo". Apple users may use the combinations CMD + Z and CMD + Y.

A useful tool when using the command field is to use the ARROW-KEY UP on the keyboard. This will scroll you through all previous commands used in chronological order until you find the one you want to reuse. This will save you the work of having to manually enter the same command syntax several times. Often there is a need to run different variants of the same command syntax (e.g. with slightly different variables or parameters). In such cases, an already used command may be selected from the list to be rerun after some small adjustments.