Chapter 1. Introduction
EViews provides you with both a Windows and a command line interface for working with your data. Almost every operation that can be accomplished using menus may also be entered into the command window, or placed in programs for batch processing. You are free to choose the mixture of techniques which best fits your particular style of work.
The Command and Programming Reference (CPR) documents the use of commands and programs to perform various tasks in EViews—the companion User’s Guide describes in greater detail the general features of EViews, with an emphasis on the interactive Windows interface.
In addition to providing a basic command reference, the Command and Programming Reference documents the use of EViews’ powerful batch processing language and advanced programming features. With EViews, you can create and store commands in programs that automate repetitive tasks, or generate a record of your research project.
Using Commands
Commands may be used interactively or executed in batch mode.
Interactive Use
The command window is located just below the main menu bar at the top of the EViews window. A blinking insertion cursor in the command window indicates that keyboard focus is in the command window and that keystrokes will be entered in the window at the insertion point. If no insertion cursor is present, simply click in the command window to change the focus.
To work interactively, you will type a command into the command window, then press ENTER to execute the command. If you enter an incomplete command, EViews will open a dialog box prompting you for additional information.
A command that you enter in the window will be executed as soon as you press ENTER. The insertion point need not be at the end of the command line when you press ENTER.
EViews will execute the entire line that contains the insertion point.
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When you enter a command, EViews will add it to the list of previously executed commands contained in the window. You can scroll up to an earlier command, edit it, and hit ENTER. The modified command will be executed. You may also use standard Windows copy-and-paste between the command window and any other window.
The contents of the command area may also be saved directly into a text file for later use. First make certain that the command window is active by clicking anywhere in the window, and then select File/Save As… from the main menu.
You may resize the command window so that a larger number of previously executed commands are visible. Use the mouse to move the cursor to the bottom of the window, hold down the mouse button, and drag the bottom of the window downwards.
We will point out that as you open and close object windows in EViews, the keyboard focus may change from the command window to the active window. If you then wish to enter a command, you will first need to click in the command window to set the focus. You can influence EViews’ method of choosing keyboard focus by changing the global defaults—simply select Options/Window and Font Options... from the main menu, and change the Keyboard Focus setting as desired.
Batch Program Use
You can assemble a number of commands into a program, and then execute the commands in batch mode. Each command in the program will be executed in the order that it appears in the program. Using batch programs allows you to make use of advanced capabilities such as looping and condition branching, and subroutine and macro processing. Programs also are an excellent way to document a research project since you will have a record of each step of the project.
One way to create a program file in EViews is to select File/New/Program. EViews will open an untitled program window into which you may enter your commands. You can save the program by clicking on the Save or SaveAs button, navigating to the desired directory, and entering a file name. EViews will append the extension “.PRG” to the name you provide.
Alternatively, you can use your favorite text (ASCII) editor to create a program file containing your commands. The commands in this program may then be executed from within EViews.
How to Use this Manual
Chapter 2, “Object and Command Basics”, on page 5 and Appendix A, “Object, View and Procedure Reference”, on page 153 constitute the core of the EViews command reference:
How to Use this Manual—3
•Chapter 2, “Object and Command Basics”, on page 5 explains the basics of using commands to work with EViews objects, and provides a cross-referenced listing of basic EViews commands associated with various tasks.
•Appendix A, “Object, View and Procedure Reference”, beginning on page 153 provides a cross-referenced listing of commands, views, and procedures associated with each object.
The other sections provide documentation on more advanced EViews features:
•Chapter 3, “Matrix Language”, on page 23 describes the EViews matrix language and provides a summary of the available matrix operators, functions, and commands.
•Chapter 4, “Working with Tables”, on page 47 documents the table object and describes the basics of working with tables in EViews.
•Chapter 5, “Working with Graphs”, on page 59 describes the use of commands to work with graph objects.
•Chapter 6, “EViews Programming”, on page 83 describes the basics of using programs for batch processing and documents the programming language.
•Chapter 7, “Strings and Dates”, on page 119 describes the syntax and functions available for manipulating text strings and dates.
The remaining sections contain dictionary-style reference material for all of the EViews commands, functions, and operators, or more advanced material:
•Appendix B, “Command Reference”, on page 195 provides a full alphabetized listing of basic commands, views and procedures. This material contains the primary reference material for working with EViews.
•Appendix C, “Special Expression Reference”, on page 565 special expressions that may be used in series assignment and generation, or as terms in estimation specifications.
•Appendix D, “Operator and Function Reference”, beginning on page 573 describes the operators and functions that may be used with series and (in some cases) matrix objects.
•Appendix E, “Workfile Functions”, on page 589 includes functions for accessing workfile structure and date information.
•Appendix F, “String and Date Function Reference”, on page 595 lists the functions used when working with strings and dates in EViews.
•Appendix G, “Matrix Reference”, on page 611 is an alphabetical listing of the commands and functions associated with the EViews matrix language.
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•Appendix H, “Programming Language Reference”, on page 633 contains an alphabetical listing of the keywords and functions associated with the EViews programming language.
While this reference manual is not designed to be read from cover-to-cover, we recommend that before beginning extensive work using EViews commands, you spend some time with Chapter 2, “Object and Command Basics”, which describes the basics of using commands to work with objects. A solid understanding of this material is important for getting the most out of EViews.
If you wish to use programs in EViews, you should, at the very least, examine the first part of Chapter 6, “EViews Programming”, which describes the basics of creating, loading, and running a batch program.