On Tue, 12 Mar 2002 10:59:05 Ian Whitlock wrote: >Simon, > >If it is important enough to worry about this issue then the code >belongs in a macro,

This statement _seems_ sufficient for the "Let's Macro EVERYTHING!" crowd, I suppose. It wasn't my impression that Ian belonged to that club.

Granted, Ian's code is as good a band-aid as I know of, but ...

What Simon asked seemed very reasonable to po' me. It's just simple dataset checking, similar to I/O error handling, generally practical to do with ABORT in non-interactive/batch mode.

Imagine, if you will, say, 1000+ lines of complex open code, then the need to check/verify the dataset, then another 2000+ lines of complex open code. Everyone has seen what macro _can_ do to the log generated by such a program?

Question: Didn't we need *something* like:

ABORT SYNTAXCHECK: Stops execution of the current data step, sets OBS=0, and continues to check syntax without leaving the SAS windowing environment.

ABORT SUBMITTED : Stops execution of the current data step and ignores any subsequent submitted statements without leaving the SAS windowing environment.

approximately 18 years ago???? :-)

Why does the Onlinedoc tell us that ABORT; in noninteractive mode sets OBS=0 but in a windowing environment it does not? Isn't this simply inconsistent design?

I recall a section on Display Mngr on the recent SASware ballot. Most/all of the candidates struck me as enhancements that should've been made many, many years ago.

I see all this "nice" discussion of this and that on the net nowadaze. Well, I don't feel "nice" today. <g>

I'm gonna add this problem to the portfolio of "apparent design errors" in-or-related-to SAS windowing environments that I have observed over the years. Potentially more dangerous to productivity than "bugs" if one relies on the windowing environment.

Did someone imply SI has plans to gut/rewrite the windowing environment (Display Manager, etc) that they spent years and years developing? "I Wonder Why They Would Do Such A Thang???" Duhhh!!

Is there any reason to expect that their next effort will be substantially better than their previous ones??

A Disgruntled Puddin' <g>

******************************************************* *** Puddin' Man *** Pudding_Man@postmark.net ***** *******************************************************;

"I'm gonna leave heah running 'cause walkin'd be Most Too Slow." - from "Key To The Highway", Wm. Broonzy, around 1933

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