topic Tips and Tricks - best practice with JMP/JSL in Discussions

Tips and Tricks - best practice with JMP/JSL

hogi — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 23:09:45 GMT

There is a wonderful blog post by @Craige_Hales :

It nicely illustrates that there are multiple solutions to every problem - with varying degrees of success in achieving the goal and in investing ressources.

And often there is not the ONE solution with maximum points in all categories:

goal was met
length of code
speed (to write the code)
speed (to execute the code)
complexity (to understand the code)
complexity ( to remember the code)

Examples:

<td, width="25%">links

topic	standard approach	faster/optimized approaches
General
learn scripting	trial and error	watch the recordings of the

Data import
open multiple data files	use open() (inside a for loop)	use MFI (faster csv reader!)
get a list of files	generate the file list - via Python, command prompt etc. and paste it into a new JMP table	MFI → right click on file list → Make into data table
find a file in a deep/complicated network tree structure	use MFI or Windows File dialog	create a wrapper for Python/GLOB

Data tables
change column entries	step by step via for loop	data table subscripting
	...	dt << begin/end data update; before/after the loop
add columns to a data table	merge data tables via Tables/Update	first aggregate via Tables/Summary, then merge via Tables/Update
column aggregation with restrictions	with a character comparison Col(if(... gets very (!!!) slow: `col Max(` `if(:sex=="M", ...)`	a) use if(:sex==1,...)	How-do-I-use-the-Col-Maximum-Formula-with-a-where (fixed in V19)
	...	b) replace `:sex=="M"`with `contains(:sex,"M")`	How-do-I-use-the-Col-Maximum-Formula-with-a-where
count words	e.g. count xxx in :col: N Rows(loc(Words(:col),"xxx"))	`(Length(:col)-` `Length(Substitute(:col, "xxx", ""))` `)/3`
rank unique	`New Column( "rank_unique",` `Formula( Col Minimum(` `Col Rank( If(` `Row() == Col Min( Row(),` `:age, :sex ), 1 ), :age ),` `:age,:sex))`	Col Score(:age, :sex) (v19)
Recode	can be very slow in combination with other options	apply the option in a second step
replace values with other values	for loop or Recode	use DataTable subscripting
select rows based on a formula	If dt << select where() is too slow ... split it into 2 steps:	myrows= dt << get rows where(); dt << select rows(myrows)
spec calcualations	some manual JSL code	support this wish with a Kudo:

Graphs


Reports


Export



Database access



Neural Networks



...

[More like this]

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

jthi — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:27:21 GMT

It depends a lot on what you are doing. Some good general tips can be found from Scripting Guide > Efficient Scripts

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

hogi — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:40:51 GMT

Thanks, a good place to start ...

Going further, how about a list with as many entries as possible along the idea:
If you want to do this, you probably thought of this approach - but concerning speed, the other approach is much better!

Who is interested in sharing his secrets :)

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

hogi — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 08:13:47 GMT

-> Table moved to main post.

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

hogi — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 11:00:19 GMT

I added a cool trick to count words by @ian_jmp :

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

hogi — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 08:38:20 GMT

great source of Tips and Tricks:

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

hogi — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 09:07:44 GMT

Wonderful talk on XPath & Subscripting in Reports:
https://community.jmp.com/t5/Abstracts/I-Can-See-It-How-Do-I-Get-It/ev-p/776041

Re: Speeding up JMP/JSL

hogi — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 05:04:30 GMT

JM 19:

column aggregation
with restrictions

with a character comparison Col(if(... gets very (!!!) slow:
col Max( if(:sex=="M", ...)

a) use if(:sex==1,...)

How-do-I-use-the-Col-Maximum-Formula-with-a-where
(fixed in V19)

rank unique

New Column( "rank_unique",

Formula( Col Minimum(

Col Rank( If(

Row() == Col Min( Row(),

:age, :sex ), 1 ), :age ),

:age,:sex))

Col Score(:age, :sex)

(v19)

Add dense ranking to Ranking Tie and Col Rank functions