Training

You can easily make modifications to a single table instead of modifying the existing variable or making a copy of the variable in mrTables. For example, you might have a table like the one below, containing specific breaks in the categorical age variable.

Figure 1: Table containing specific breaks in the categorical age variable
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You can choose to modify the age breaks by selecting the age variable in the top of the table and choosing the "paper and pencil" icon shown below. This opens the "Edit Axis" dialog box.

Figure 2: "Paper and Pencil" icon
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This will open up the following dialog box.

Figure 3: The “Edit Axis” window
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Within the "Edit Axis" window, you have the ability to correct spelling, change labels, insert text, delete categories, combine categories, add nets, or move categories into a different order. In the example above, you combine "11-16 years" and "17-20 years" by highlighting the categories and choosing the "combine" option on the toolbar. Then edit the label to read "Under 21." Here’s the resulting table:

Figure 4: The resulting table
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If you’d like to make these age breaks more permanent, you could create a new variable from your modified table variable. To do this, select the box for the top of the table (see the bold "Top" box below), and then choose the “create new variable” icon.

Figure 5: “Create new variable” icon
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The icon will prompt you for a new variable name and description. This will produce a new variable—an orange square icon—that holds the age changes for multiple uses.