Date:         Mon, 5 Jun 2000 16:57:17 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lund, Pete" <Peter.Lund@CFC.WA.GOV>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Lund, Pete" <Peter.Lund@CFC.WA.GOV>
Subject:      Re: passing equal sign as a parameter in macro
Comments: To: Annie Chang <chang5a@YAHOO.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

Annie-

Since the "=" has meaning to the macro processor (signifying a named
parameter) you need to "mask it" so that the macro doesn't try to do
something with it.  You do this with a macro quoting function.  In your
simple example, just change your call to the macro to:

%test (%str(new = 3));

The %str() function masks the meaning of the "=" and the macro just treats
it as text.

If you want some fascinating reading, check out the section on macro quoting
functions in the SAS Macro Language Reference Guide.  Better yet, get Art
Carpenter's "Carpenter's Complete Guide to the SAS Macro Language" - you'll
learn a lot!

Hope this helps.


Pete Lund
WA State Caseload Forecast Council
(360) 902-0086     voice
(360) 902-0084     fax
peter.lund@cfc.wa.gov


-----Original Message-----
From: Annie Chang [mailto:chang5a@YAHOO.COM]
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000 4:48 PM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: passing equal sign as a parameter in macro


I think i have a hard question:

%macro test ( var);
data tmp;
set dataset;
&var;
%mend;

%test ( "new = 3");

What I am doing here? I am trying to pass an equal
sign "=" to the macro.
(don't complain about the silly example, I make it up
so that my question
is easier to explain). But it doesn't work. Since if I
quote it,
&var becomes
 "new = 3";
the quotation marks become errors. However, if I just
call it like
%test ( new = 3);

sas will complain that there is no key parameter as
'new'. i.e., sas treats
the equal sign as a default definition for a
parameter, and won't pass the
whole thing 'new = 3' to &var.

I tried all those quote functions but to no avail.
Need an expert in SAS
to help!!

Thank you.



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