Date:         Fri, 21 Jun 2002 16:21:11 -0500
Reply-To:     goldbergj@MSNOTES.WUSTL.EDU
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         goldbergj@MSNOTES.WUSTL.EDU
Subject:      Re: Some Basics About Macro Variables
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Jim Groeneveld <J.Groeneveld@ITGROUPS.COM>  writes:

>A very important programming language with an associated macro language is
>C[++]. The functionality of that macro language is greatly overlapping
that
>of the SAS macro language, but the emphasis is laying somewhat
differently.
>An important function is to control the compilation process, conditionally
>skipping parts of code or not.

I think there is a crucial difference:  the C++ preprocessor (the name is
not an accident) has no hooks into runtime as the SAS macro language does.

Of course, this is a consequence of the different architecture.  When a C++
program runs the compiler is long gone.  But it results in a major
difference in how the two facilities are used.

Jonathan Goldberg
Missouri Alcoholism Research Center
Washington University School of Medicine
40 N. Kingshighway, Suite One
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-286-2212