QScript Scale Functions
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The functions below are used by the scaling QScripts under Create New Variables - Scale Within Case and Create New Variables - Scale Within Variable.
To make these functions available when writing a QScript or Rule see JavaScript Reference.
scaleOneQuestion(question, type, within_case)
This function takes one QScript Question and performs a scale transformation to it. See the next function for a description of the type and within_case arguments.
scaleQuestions(type, within_case)
This function prompts the user to select questions and performs a scale transformation to each selection based on the type argument. Possible values for type are "rank", "standardize", "center", and "unit". If within_case is true, then the scaling is performed within case/respondent; otherwise, it is performed within variable. This is a wrapper for scaleOneQuestion.
Source Code
includeWeb("QScript Utility Functions");
includeWeb("QScript Selection Functions");
includeWeb("QScript Functions to Generate Outputs");
includeWeb("QScript R Output Functions");
function scaleOneQuestionOrVariable(input, type, within_case) {
const is_displayr = inDisplayr();
const structure_name = is_displayr ? "variable set" : "question";
let single_variable = input.type == "Variable";
let input_name = single_variable ? input.label : input.name;
let reference_name = input.name;
let data_reference = (single_variable) ? generateDisambiguatedVariableName(input) : generateDisambiguatedQuestionName(input);
let data_file = single_variable ? input.question.dataFile : input.dataFile;
let new_question_name = (type == "unit" ? "unit scale" : type) + " within " +
(within_case ? "case" : "variable") + " for " + input_name;
function capitalizeFirstLetter(string) {
return string.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + string.slice(1);
}
new_question_name = capitalizeFirstLetter(new_question_name);
new_question_name = preventDuplicateQuestionName(data_file, new_question_name);
let temp_var_name = randomVariableName(16); // temporary name, random to (almost) guarantee uniqueness
let variables = single_variable ? [input] : input.variables;
if (variables.length === 1) {
if (within_case) {
log('Scaling within case for ' + structure_name + ' ' + input_name + ' is not meaningful ' + 'since it consists of only a single variable.');
return false;
}
if (variables[0].variableType === "Date" && type != "rank") {
log('The selected scaling type is not meaningful for Date variables. The only scaling which can be applied for ' + input_name + ' is Ranks Within Variable.');
return false;
}
}
let new_question_type = variables.length === 1 ? "Number" : "Number - Multi";
let expression = 'flipTransformations::ScaleVariableSet(' + data_reference + ', type = "' + type +
'", within.case = ' + within_case.toString().toUpperCase() + ')';
let new_r_question;
try {
new_r_question = data_file.newRQuestion(expression, new_question_name, temp_var_name, variables[variables.length - 1]);
new_r_question.questionType = new_question_type;
insertAtHoverButtonIfShown(new_r_question);
} catch (e) {
function errorFun(e){
log("The transform could not be computed for " + structure_name + " " + input_name + " : " + e.message);
return false;
}
return errorFun(e);
}
// Replace temporary variable names
let base_var_name = reference_name.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_@\#\$\\]/g, '_').toLowerCase() + "_" + type + "_scaled";
nameSequentialVariables(new_r_question.variables, base_var_name);
let top_group_name = type.slice(0,1).toUpperCase() + type.slice(1) + (type == "unit" ? " scale " : "") +
" within " + (within_case ? "case" : "variable") + " Transformation";
reportNewRQuestion(new_r_question, top_group_name);
return true;
}
function scaleQuestions(type, within_case) {
let allowed_types = ["Nominal - Multi", "Ordinal - Multi", "Numeric - Multi", "Numeric - Grid"];
let selections;
if (within_case) {
// Only keep entire questions which are of an allowed type
selections = selectInputQuestions(allowed_types);
} else {
// Single variables are allowed, as are variable sets.
// If a variable within a variable set is selected,
// but not all variables within the set are selected
// then just scale the selected variables
let user_selections = getAllUserSelections();
let selected_questions = user_selections.selected_questions;
let selected_variables = user_selections.selected_variables;
// User or QScript test in Q has nothing selected, allow to select questions
// from prompt.
if (!inDisplayr() && selected_questions.length + selected_variables.length == 0) {
allowed_types = allowed_types.concat(["Nominal", "Ordinal", "Numeric", "Date"]);
selected_questions = selectInputQuestions(allowed_types);
}
if (selected_questions.some(q => q.questionType.indexOf("Text") > -1)){
log("Text variables cannot be scaled.");
selected_questions = selected_questions.filter(q => q.questionType != "Text");
}
let selected_varnames = selected_variables.map(x => x.name);
let kept_single_variables = [];
let partial_questions_selected = [];
selected_variables.forEach(function (v) {
let complete_variables = v.question.variables.map(x => x.name);
if (!complete_variables.every(x => selected_varnames.indexOf(x) > -1)) {
partial_questions_selected.push(v.question.name);
kept_single_variables.push(v);
}
});
selected_questions = selected_questions.filter(q => partial_questions_selected.indexOf(q.name) == -1);
selections = selected_questions.concat(kept_single_variables);
}
if (!selections)
return false;
let results = [];
for (let i = 0; i < selections.length; i++)
results.push(scaleOneQuestionOrVariable(selections[i], type, within_case));
return results.some(function(x){return(x)});
}