Wow! There's still so much to learn and so many ways of doing things. Thanks IAN.

Myra

-----Original Message----- From: Ian Whitlock [mailto:whitloi1@WESTAT.COM] Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 3:24 PM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU; Myra Oltsik Cc: Ian Whitlock Subject: Re: simple macro question - %let

Myra,

Assuming your step

DATA _NULL_; SET STATES; DO I = 1 TO &OBSV; IF _N_ = I THEN DO; CALL SYMPUT('STATE'||LEFT(PUT(I,2.)),ST); END; END; RUN;

should have been

DATA _NULL_; DO I = 1 TO &OBSV; SET STATES; IF _N_ = I THEN DO; CALL SYMPUT('STATE'||LEFT(PUT(I,2.)),ST); END; END; RUN;

you could simplify the code to

PROC SUMMARY DATA=NCLM.EARNPQ MISSING NWAY; VAR SEARNED; CLASS MASTERST; WHERE MASTERST NE 'NY'; FORMAT SEARNED DOLLAR20.2; OUTPUT OUT=STATES(RENAME=(MASTERST=ST) DROP=_TYPE_ _FREQ_) SUM=; RUN;

DATA _NULL_ ; SET STATES(KEEP=ST) ; CALL EXECUTE ( '%MSTCLM(&Q,ST=' || ST || ')' ); RUN ;

Incidentally, CALL EXECUTE also provides a second solution to the original question. PROC SQL provides a third alternative. These tools often eliminate the need for arrays of macro variables. Dare I say, making them almost obsolete?

Ian Whitlock

On Wed, 2 May 2001 14:00:33 -0400, Myra Oltsik <moltsik@RESPONSE.COM> wrote:

>On Wed, 2 May 2001 10:22:31 -0400, Dan Fiscus <fiscus@AL.UMCES.EDU> wrote: > >>Hi, >> >>This must be an easy one, but as fairly early on in getting the >>macro language, I am stumped... >> >>I want to store a dataset variable value into a macro variable. >>I have a dataset variable called x and want to store the current >>observation's value of x into the macro variable chosenx. But >>if I say (from inside a data step): >> >>%let chosenx = x ; >> >>the value of chosenx becomes the string 'x'. >> >>Thanks for any suggestions... >> >>Dan Fiscus >> >> >>-- >> >>Dan Fiscus >>Ecologist/Research Assistant email: fiscus@al.umces.edu >>Appalachian Laboratory phone: 301-689-7121 >>University of Maryland C.E.S. fax: 301-689-7200 >>301 Braddock Road http://www.al.umces.edu >>Frostburg, MD 21532 USA > >Dan, > >It's not exactly easy. Here's some code I use to do what I think you want >to do: [I have comments below.] > >PROC SUMMARY DATA=NCLM.EARNPQ MISSING NWAY; > VAR SEARNED; > CLASS MASTERST; > WHERE MASTERST NE 'NY'; > FORMAT SEARNED DOLLAR20.2; > OUTPUT OUT=STATES(RENAME=(MASTERST=ST) DROP=_TYPE_ _FREQ_) SUM=; >RUN; > >DATA _NULL_; > SET STATES(KEEP=ST) NOBS=NO; > CALL SYMPUT('OBSV',LEFT(PUT(NO,8.))); > STOP; >RUN; > >%GLOBAL OBSV; > >DATA _NULL_; > SET STATES; > DO I = 1 TO &OBSV; > IF _N_ = I THEN DO; > CALL SYMPUT('STATE'||LEFT(PUT(I,2.)),ST); > END; > END; >RUN; > >%MACRO MRESVD; > > %GLOBAL Z; > > %DO Z = 1 %TO &OBSV; > %MSTCLM(&Q,ST=&&STATE&Z); > %END; > >%MEND MRESVD; > >%MRESVD; > >========== > >On it's first pass, &&STATE&Z resolves to &STATE1. On the next pass, >&STATE1 response to AZ (for Arizona). I learned this in Art Capenter's >Macro class about 1-½ years ago. I don't have the code memorized, but >always available when I need it. > >Myra