Date:         Mon, 23 Jul 2001 09:34:28 -0400
Reply-To:     "Diskin, Dennis" <Dennis.Diskin@PHARMA.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Diskin, Dennis" <Dennis.Diskin@PHARMA.COM>
Subject:      Re: macro Q: avoiding temp file for generated statements
Comments: To: Michael Friendly <friendly@HOTSPUR.PSYCH.YORKU.CA>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Two methods that come to mind are:

1. read the entire symbol file into indexed macro variables and use a macro
to loop through them to produce the SYMNBOL statements.
This amounts to using the macro space as your buffer.

2. Use a macro to produce the SYMBOL statements by reading the ds2symbol
file via sysfunc calls to various IO functions.
This is a more direct approach but, I wouldn't recommend it unless you have
experience in programming I/O operations.

A quick prototype example of #1 (Untested)

/* Read symbol table into macro variables */
/* If you don't like SQL, this could also be done via a data step / Call
symput */
proc sql noprint;
select value,interpol, color, font, line, ci, co, height, width, repeat
   into :value1 thru :value999, :intr1 thru :intr999, :color1 thru
:color999,
          :font1 thru :font999, :line1 thru :line999, ci1 thru :ci999, :co1
thru :co999,
          :high1 thru :high999, :wide1 thru :wide999, :rep1 thru :rep999
   from test;
%let nsymb = &sqlobs;

%macro symb;
%local i;
%do i = 1 to &nsymb;
SYMBOL
                %if &&value ^=' '  %then %do; value= &&value&i %end;;
                %if &&intr&i ^=' ' %then %do; interpol= &&intr&i %end; ;
                %if &&color&i ^=' ' % then %do; color= &&color&i %end;
                %if &&font&i ^=' '  % then %do; font= &&font&i %end;
                %if &&ci&i ^=' '     %then %do; ci= &&ci&i %end;
                %if &&co&i ^=' '     %then %do; co=&&co&i %end;
                %if &&line&i ^=.     %then %do; line= &&line&i %end;
                %if &&high&i ^=.   %then %do; height= &&high&i %end;
                %if &&wide&i ^=.    %then %do; width= &&wide&i %end;
                %if &&rep&i ^=.   %then %do; repeat= &&rep&i %end;
;
%mend;

/* then call the macro where you want the SYMBOL statements to appear */

hth,
Denis Diskin

> ----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Friendly [SMTP:friendly@HOTSPUR.PSYCH.YORKU.CA]
> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 12:08 PM
> To:   SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject:      macro Q: avoiding temp file for generated statements
>
> I have a macro, ds2symb, designed to generate SYMBOL statements
> from a data set.  As you'll see below, I use a data _null_ step
> to write those statements to a temporary file, then %include
> them.
>
> For several reasons (e.g., file names are not portable) I'd like
> to avoid using a temporary file, but can't quite remember how
> to do this.
>
> Who can help?
>
> ---- ds2symb.sas ----
> /*
> Generate SYMBOL statements from a data set, to allow setting
> combinations of symbols, colors, line styles, etc. programatically.
> */
> %macro ds2symb(
>         data=_last_,
>         value=value,       /* name of the VALUE= variable */
>         interpol=interpol, /* name of the INTERPOL= variable */
>         color=color,       /* name of the COLOR= variable */
>         font=font,         /* name of the FONT= variable */
>         line=line,         /* name of the LINE= variable */
>         ci=ci,             /* name of the CI= variable */
>         co=co,             /* name of the CO= variable */
>         height=height,     /* name of the HEIGHT= variable */
>         width=width,       /* name of the WIDTH= variable */
>         repeat=repeat      /* name of the REPEAT= variable */
>         );
>
> %*tempfile(symbol);
> filename symbol '/tmp/symbol.out';
>
> data _null_;
>         set &data end=eof;
>         file symbol;
>         put 'symbol' +0 _n_ @;
>         if &value ^=' '  then put 'value=' +0 &value @;
>         if &interpol ^=' ' then put 'interpol=' +0 &interpol @;
>         if &color ^=' '  then put 'color=' +0 &color @;
>         if &font ^=' '   then put 'font=' +0 &font @;
>         if &ci ^=' '     then put 'ci=' +0 &ci @;
>         if &co ^=' '     then put 'co=' +0 &co @;
>
>         if &line ^=.     then put 'line=' +0 &line @;
>         if &height ^=.   then put 'height=' +0 &height @;
>         if &width ^=.    then put 'width=' +0 &width @;
>         if &repeat ^=.   then put 'repeat=' +0 &repeat @;
>         put ';';
>
>         if eof then do;
>                 file log;
>                 put 'NOTE:' _n_ ' SYMBOL statements have been generated';
>                 end;
>
>         run;
>
> %include symbol;
>
> %* clear the fileref and delete the temp file;
> %*tempdel(symbol);
> %mend;
>
> data testit;
>         height=1;
>         interpol='none';
>         line=1;
>         do color='red ', 'blue';
>                 do value='plus  ', 'dot', 'square';
>                         output;
>                         end;
>                 end;
> run;
>
> options mprint;
> %ds2symb(data=testit);
>
>
> --
> Michael Friendly     Email: friendly@yorku.ca (NeXTmail OK)
> Psychology Dept
> York University      Voice: 416 736-5115 x66249 Fax: 416 736-5814
> 4700 Keele Street    http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/friendly.html
> Toronto, ONT  M3J 1P3 CANADA