
Recoding both string and numeric variables in SPSS is usually done with RECODE. Doing so with syntax is way faster than with the menu, especially if you want to recode many variables at once. Note that you'll often want to apply or adjust some value labels after recoding.
Alternatively, string variables can be recoded into numeric variables with AUTORECODE. Doing so applies the original string values as value labels to the newly created numeric variables.