Yesterday we released version 5.0.2 of CSPro. There are only minor improvements in this version. We made some bug fixes that will allow CSPro to work on Windows 8 machines (but not Windows RT tablets). Also, we added a function, setoutput, that may be useful for people writing batch applications. An example of that function is given on the CSPro Users Forum.

Download the new version here, and as always, you can get older versions on the Software page.

Position listing: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/10698

The following is a temporary position for a Research Associate at the Carolina Population Center.

Salary: $30.00 - $48.00/per hour commensurate with experience

Duration of Appointment: 6 months or less

Close Date: December 7, 2012

Description of Work:

Write CAPI data collection instruments for use in longitudinal survey in 12 provinces in China. Test the instruments, coordinate field testing, revise as needed, and help train interviewers. Receive and track survey data arriving from China. Convert the data to SAS, clean, and document the raw data including harmonizing the data across multiple survey waves and cleaning household and individual identifiers to link across waves. Create complex analysis variables. Create cross-sectional and longitudinal files, document them, and prepare them for dissemination. May supervise another programmer if assistance is needed to meet project deadlines. Consult with faculty regularly about appropriate data cleaning and variable creation methods.

Education and Experience:

BA and 10 years managing complex databases using SAS, and 5 years managing complex survey databases. Demonstrated ability to write CSPro data collection/entry systems, and experience writing CAPI in any language (CSPro preferred). MS or MPH in a suitable field may be substituted for 1 year of experience. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with foreign nationals, and experience doing survey data collection internationally.

The application must be willing to travel to China.

Those of you with Windows 8 machines will soon find out that creating or running data entry applications using version 5.0.1 will cause CSPro to crash. We've fixed the problems, which will soon go out in the 5.0.2 release, but in the meantime, you can find out how to work around the problems in the CSPro Users forum.

Finally, the Unicode version of CSPro has been released. Thanks to all beta testers who worked with early versions of the software. The following is from the release email:

This version has some significant improvements:

• Internationalization. CSPro now has full support for non-Latin languages (Unicode). This is a large change to CSPro and even affects users who use only Latin languages. Read the "Unicode Primer" in the help documentation for more information on how this change will affect you.
• Data and specification files are saved in UTF-8 encoding instead of ASCII/ANSI format.
• New multiline alpha fields, useful for addresses, memos, or notes.
• The tick marks on alpha fields can be removed to support scripts with connecting features, such as Arabic, or scripts where multiple keystrokes comprise one character, such as Devanagari.
• Users can modify the font used in the CSPro Designer.
• A PDA (PocketPC) version is no longer supported.

Download the new version here, and as always, you can get older versions on the Software page.

One feature long-requested of CSPro has been the ability to select multiple fields and change the properties for all the fields at once. Now, with CSPro 5, you can do this. Highlight the fields using the mouse and then right-click and select "Properties," or use the shortcut to bring up the properties box: Alt+Enter. You will see this dialog box:

Selecting options will apply the changes only to fields that can accept such a change. For example, a numeric field will ignore the setting for "Upper Case."

Changing the data capture type for a group of fields all at once is really useful when working on CAPI surveys.